Hart of the Problem
by Secret-writer91
Summary: Moving to Forks, Washington to take up the vacant placement was a dream come true for Leola Hart even if her mother disagreed. Leaving behind the humid subtropical climate Kansas for the rainy forest of Forks, Leola is quick to learn that there is more to the little town than meets the eye. Sam/OC.
1. Leaving Kansas

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

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 **Chapter One: Leaving Kansas.**

"Why couldn't you have stayed here?" Leona Hart asked frowning as she watched her husband get their daughter's suitcases from the boot of their car; she wasn't happy about this and she had hoped that Leola would change her mind. The idea that her baby was going to move across the country wasn't what she had expected when Leola had announced that she had gotten a promotion at work.

Leola sighed checking that she had everything for her flight, she didn't want to forget anything and she hoped her mother wasn't going to make this goodbye harder than it needed to be. The promotion had been unexpected and Leola wasn't about to tell her mother that she had been looking to transfer away from Kansas for a while now.

It hadn't been an easy decision to make but Leola wanted to try something different, she liked how things worked in Kansas and the chance to make a difference elsewhere was too tempting for her to turn down. Having done her research, Leola knew that this move would be good for her and it had come a lot faster than she had expected. No one seemed willing to take up the post in Forks especially since it was a small town with only 3,747 people in it; not much happened there and to most police officers it was their worst nightmare to be posted to somewhere where nothing happened.

"Because it was an offer I couldn't refuse," Leola stated not wanting to say anymore, she'd had this talk far more than she would have liked and she hoped that her mother would warm to the idea soon. The last thing that Leola wanted was for her mother to spend the next year complaining about the fact that she had taken this job; she was excited and she was looking forward to the next chapter in her life. Leona couldn't help but mutter under her breath, she didn't know why this had to happen and she wished that Leola would reconsider.

"Look at it this way… she's less likely to be shot at," Lionel Hart called making sure that Leola had everything, it was hard knowing that his daughter had picked such a dangerous career. Leola snorted and shook her head; her father was joking but that wasn't going to help her right now. Leona had always disapproved of her choice in career and had worried that her daughter would end up being killed doing the job that she loved so much. Staring at her husband, Leona was quiet for a moment and seemed to think over his words before she shook her head; she would much rather Leola stayed here with them than her traveling across the country.

"I should go and get checked in," Leola insisted guessing that her mother would try and talk her out of leaving again; she didn't have time to have this conversation for the third time that morning. The flight was three and a half hours long and Leola wanted the chance to pick up some magazines or something to keep her busy for the flight to Forks. Collecting the trolley with her suitcases from her father, Leola smiled at him knowing that she would see them at Christmas; she planned to come and visit whenever she could get away.

"Call us when you landed," Lionel insisted knowing that it would be a while before they would see her, he didn't want her to forget her boring old parents while she was across the country working her new job. Leola laughed and nodded her head, she was going to miss them and she knew that they would probably surprise her for Thanksgiving; she moved to hug her mother before Leona started to cry. It wasn't going to be easy but Leola wasn't going to regret her decision to move and she hoped that the move would be good for her.

* * *

Settling into her seat for the flight, Leola took a nervous breath as the plane prepared to take off; she hated flying and she would have happily driven to Forks if that had been a suitable option for her. Of course, Leola had no choice in doing so especially since she didn't have a car now that she no longer worked for the Kansas police department; her squad car had been returned in expectation of her receiving a new one when she reached Forks.

Tapping her fingers and peeking around the plane, Leola hoped that things were going to be quick; she didn't want to be stuck on the plane for ages while they waited to leave Kansas behind. Deciding to distract herself while people took their seats, Leola took the information packet that she had been sent about her new home and decided to familiarize herself with things.

Forks wasn't that big but the area which the police had to deal with was mostly forests and camping trails; Leola had a feeling that it was going to be a nightmare if someone went missing there. They also helped with the police work down on the reservation that was there since they were both such small communities and didn't have a lot of people power.

Leola couldn't imagine that they would get too much grief in such a quiet place, it would certainly be a change of pace from the work that she had done here in Kansas. The safety demonstration started and Leola sighed moving to set down her reading material, she watched warily hoping that what they were doing wouldn't have to be repeated again on this flight.

* * *

Climbing out of the taxi that she had taken from airport, Leola couldn't help but smile as she stared up at the house that was now her own; she had seen pictures but they really hadn't done the place justice. It was a small place and it would suit her perfectly since it was only going to be Leola living there; she was glad for her own space and she doubted that she would be spending much time here.

Collecting her bags from the boot of the taxi, Leola was relieved to make it up her driveway; she was glad that she hadn't had to worry too much about finding somewhere to live. The place had been well looked after and repairs had already been made since Leola had been offered the house when she had taken the job.

Carefully making her way up the steps to her new home, Leola set down her suitcases and searched for the key that had been left hidden somewhere on the porch. It was ironic that the key was poorly concealed and she made a mental note to never hide her key on the porch; it didn't matter how low the crime rate was, there was no telling what might happen even in a small town like this.

Finding the key hidden under the door mat that said welcome, Leola shook her head amused at the obvious hiding place before she moved to open her front door. It was rather exciting that she was doing all of this and she couldn't wait to see what awaited her in Forks; she had a couple of days before her first shift at the police station.

Not that that would stop her from popping in tomorrow to introduce herself to her new boss and co-workers; the force here in Forks was small and she was sure she would fit right in. Carrying her bags into the house, Leola quickly kicked the door shut and set them down by the bottom of the stairs; a smile forming on her face as she admired her hallway. It was so much better than she had imagined and she couldn't wait to really get settled in, she would have a couple of days to unpack before things started to get busy.

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	2. Forks Police Department

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

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 **Chapter Two: Forks Police Department** **.**

Waking up the next morning, Leola stared at the ceiling of her bedroom for a moment as she listened to the rain that pounded against her window; she had hoped that it would be dry so that she could go exploring. The fact that she didn't have a car hindered her slightly especially since she had seen it pointless to hire a rental car when she would have her own squad car in a matter of days.

Pushing back the covers, Leola swung her legs over the side and stared out of the window as her feet touched the soft rug that lined the side of her bed. It was dark out and Leola wouldn't have believed that it was nearly nine in the morning if it wasn't for the clock beside her bed; it was something that she was going to have to get used to while she was here.

Climbing from the bed, Leola yawned before padding towards the bathroom glad that she had been remembered to unbox her towels when she had arrived the day before. Most of her things were still in their boxes waiting in the rooms that they needed to be unpacked in; she had done what she could upon arriving but had decided to put it off when she had grown bored.

Taking the time to shower and do her morning routine, Leola couldn't help but feel nervous about what she had planned for that morning. There was nothing that could dissuade her for heading to the police station that morning, she wanted to get this over and done with before her first day on the job.

Leola had heard how much Sergeant Wayland Forge had been loved in the community and his death had come as a shock to those who had known him. It did make her wonder just what sort of reception she would receive when she started work, especially since she was here as his replacement; the last thing Leola wanted to do was rock the boat when she was starting a new job.

Once she had finished getting ready, Leola headed downstairs and made a mental note to pick up some milk on her way back; she didn't want to rely on anyone else when she would have to know her way around town for work. Leola checked the fridge to see if there was anything else that she needed to pick up while she was out; there wasn't much in and she was thankful that someone had picked up some things for her before she had arrived.

There had been enough in the fridge to do her for a couple of days but Leola didn't want to wait until the last moment until she had to do a shop; there was also no harm in exploring the place she now called home. Making a list of the items that she was going to need to pick up, Leola could only hope that the store wasn't going to be too far away from her home since she was on foot.

Deciding that a proper shop while she was out would be beneficial for her, Leola closed the fridge and moved to grab her coat hoping that it would keep her dry while she was out of the house. Making sure that she had her keys, Leola headed for the door and paused as she stared out at the rain for a moment; her nose wrinkling a little at the thought of getting soaked but knowing that there was no way around it especially if she wanted to leave the house.

Opening the front door, Leola stepped out of her home and closed the door behind her; she hesitated on the porch for a moment before pulling her hood up over her head. The rain seemed to have eased off slightly and it wasn't pouring down too hard now, it made Leola hopeful that the rain might come to an end soon.

Heading down the steps and across her front lawn, Leola had a feeling that she was going to get lost; she just hoped that the small town wasn't going to turn into some sort of maze.

* * *

Staring up at the police station, Leola was rather surprised with how different it looked compared to the last one that she had worked it; it looked more like the tourist centre and she would have mistaken it for something like that if the sign wasn't there to tell her what the place was. The station looked small and Leola wondered just how big the force was here, she only knew the name of the chief of police and she had only spoken to him really over the phone before her transfer.

Not wanting to linger outside and look like a crazy person in the rain for a moment longer; Leola had her way up the steps and into the building without another moment of hesitant. The reception area didn't consist of much and was rather cramped in space with several chairs shoved into it so that people could sit down.

"Hi," Leola greeted looking to the woman that was sat at the reception desk, she walked over to the desk glad to see that someone was here; she still felt nervous about coming here today. The woman behind the desk jumped and nearly dropped the glasses that she had been cleaning before sticking them back on; she blinked a couple of times trying to focus on the new-comer.

Diana Forbes had lived in Forks her entire life and had spent most of her career working behind this desk; she practically knew everyone in town so the sight of a stranger confused her for a moment.

"Can I help you honey?" the woman asked a polite smile filling her face, she was sure that it was probably a tourist that had gotten lost or had managed to lose a friend while she had been camping in the surrounding area. It wasn't an unusual thing and most of the time there wasn't much to be worried about around here; the most they had to deal with was the animal killings that occurred every now and then.

"Leola Hart," Leola said introducing herself, she was sure that they would be expecting her and she hoped her decision to drop in like this wasn't going to back-fire; her eyes scanning the small reception feeling even more nervous than before. They wouldn't be expecting to see her today and she didn't want to get under anyone's feet; she just thought that dropping in early would make her less nervous on the day that she did start working here. The woman furrowed her brow wondering why the name sounded so familiar, she had heard it somewhere that morning and it took her a moment to realise why it sounded so familiar to her.

"The new Detective… you aren't meant to start until Monday," Diana Forbes greeted surprised that she had shown up early, she quickly introduced herself to the new member of staff pleased to see someone eager to work here with them. The chief wasn't here right now to meet her since his daughter had a hospital appointment after the terrible 'accident' that she'd had but Diana was sure that there were other members of the department here that Leola could meet.

"I couldn't resist dropping in to check the place out," Leola replied with a shrug of her shoulders making Diana smile at her, she felt a little more at ease speaking with the woman before her and not like she was being a pain in the ass. The last thing that Leola wanted was to get in the way if they were busy, she could easily just go to the shops now and come back when she wasn't likely to be a problem.

Diana was quick to offer Leola a tour of their small precinct, it wasn't much but it was where they worked and she was sure that they would bump into other members of the team that worked there. The station was rather simple and Leola was relieved to find that everything was in an easy location to find without having to constantly ask where things might be.

"And this is the staff room," Diana announced pushing open the door that lead to the tiny room where most of them had lunch; there was a microwave in the far corner of the room with a kettle, a couch on the wall next to it and a small table in the centre of the room with four chairs cramped around it. The people inside seemed to stop what they were doing and turned to look at the newcomers, they clearly hadn't realised that there was a tour going on; they watched Diana curious about what was going on. The only other woman in the room leant back in her chair and raised an eyebrow at Diana, she was sure that she would have been notified about this tour during their meeting that morning.

"Captain Stephens, Detective Ashton, Deputy Thompson and Deputy Jones… this is Detective Hart," Diana introducing pointing out each of Leola's new co-workers for her so she knew who was who. The detective and two deputies frowned at the sight of their new detective and hoped that there hadn't been some sort of mistake; they were sure that the Chief had said that they would be working with a Leo.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Captain Stephens greeted getting to her feet and moving to shake Leola's hand, it had been a long time coming and it was about time that they had the position filled. It had been a couple of months now since Wayland had died and they had been understaffed since their friend had been mauled to death in the forest; she had been requesting a new detective with no hope until Leola had been hired.

"I am sure that you will find Forks are rather welcoming place," Captain Stephens stated doubting that Leola would fall foul of the local gossip mill anytime soon; it was too busy talking about the 'accident' that had befallen the chief of police's daughter. It was all that anyone talked about since Isabella Swan had taken that tumble down a flight of stairs after she had taken off in the night after a fight with her boyfriend.

Detective Ashton snorted at the statement, he doubted that it would be long before the rumours started about their new detective and he had his money on her being corned by the local gossips sooner rather than later. It was only a matter of time and the detective knew that the people around here did not do well with anyone new; they would be quick to jump on the fact that Leola had replaced a man that had been beloved in the community even if he had died.

"I hope so," Leola replied not entirely sure what would happen, she hadn't run into a lot of people yet and she knew what a small town this was; there was bound to be talk about her soon when people realised that she was living here. She peeked towards the other members of the team and hoped that they would be just as welcoming as Captain Stephens was when she got to know them; it was bound to be strange for them after losing such a close friend from what she had heard.

The job would be a lot easier for her if she didn't have to worry about clashing with any of the team that she was going to be working closely with. Saying farewell to them, Leola followed Diana back towards reception and she felt a lot more relieved about this now that she had a feeling about what working here would be like. Diana was more than happy to give her directions to the nearest store and she had offered to help Leola since the young woman didn't have a car right now but she was declined.

"I will see you Monday," Leola called heading out of the door and waving to Diana before she headed out into the street. The rain had died off even more while she had been in the station and she was relieved about that; she didn't have to worry about being completely soaked by the time that she reached the store.

Things were getting off to a great start for her in Forks and Leola hoped that it would stay like that.

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	3. First Day of Work

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

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 **Chapter Three: First Day of Work** **.**

"It's a pleasure to have you join us here in Forks," Chief Charlie Swan greeted shaking Leola's hand, he had been disappointed to hear that he had missed her when she had come to the station the other day. He had been looking forward to meeting the newest recruit to his station since he had talked to her about her transfer to come and work with them; it would certainly be a welcome change for him. Things had been difficult since Wayland had died and Charlie knew that he would be greatly missed within the community that he had served so well.

"The pleasure is all mine," Leola insisted with a smile, she loved the feeling of having her uniform on and she didn't feel as nervous as she had thought that she would in this situation. It had been strange arriving at the station for the first day but Leola was determined not to let it show; she didn't want to give off a bad impression on her very first day.

Diana had greeted her that morning when she had arrived and had been helped her relax before she headed into the locker room to prepare for her first day on the job. Her uniform had been hanging up waiting for her and Leola hadn't been able to contain her smile when she had seen her name on the uniform that identified her as Sergeant Leola Hart.

"I have arranged for you to shadow Detective Ashton for the first few days… just until you get used to the area," Charlie said wanting to ensure that Leola knew the area better before he let her out on her own. He had no doubts that she could do her job but she had only just arrived in Forks and until she knew the place like the back of her hand then it was for the best that she had someone to accompany her.

It also made it easier for Leola to get to know the people that she was going to be working with if she spent a day on patrol with each of them. Leola nodded her head, she was going to make the most of this while she had the chance and she wanted to show that she could make this work.

"Come on Hart… let's get a move on," Detective Ashton called ensuring that he had everything that he needed for this, it was early in the morning and they had to get a move on if they wanted to patrol the morning traffic. The kids seemed to think that just because they lived in a small town that they could drive however they liked to school and it was the police departments main source of problem in the town.

Leola nodded her head and smiled to Charlie before she turned to follow the detective; she was curious about what her first day was going to hold for her. Waving to Diana as she headed out of the station, she didn't want to keep him waiting even if it was her first day; she was here to work and that was what she was going to do. The cool morning air greeted her on the way out for the station and Leola shivered a little before hurrying over to the squad car where Detective Ashton was waiting for her.

"Shall we?" Detective Ashton asked signalling for Leola to get into his car, they had to get going if they were going to make it to the school and patrol around there. Leola climbed into the car and quickly pulled on her seatbelt, she didn't know what to make of the detective but she hoped that she would get to know her new co-worker quickly.

Detective Ashton took a deep breath as he climbed into the car and pulled on his own seat-belt, he had hoped that his offer to look out for the first day wasn't going to bite him in the ass. Things would take a little time to settle down now that Leola was working in Forks and they didn't have to worry about being understaffed now.

* * *

Sitting in the squad car, Leola tapped her fingers on the side of the car as she waited for the detective to return with coffee for them; it had been a quiet morning and she doubted anything really happened in this town. There hadn't really been much trouble during the school rush that morning and Detective Ashton had been quick to point out to her who the likely trouble-makers where while they had been sat outside the school waiting for classes to start.

It had been nice having a bit of a tour before she could take her own squad car out; she wanted to make sure that she knew her way before she had to take patrol alone. The last thing that Leola wanted to happen was for her to get lost on a call out resulting in a delay in her reaching the source of an incident; she wanted to know the place like the back of her hand.

"Thanks…" Leola said taking the offered drink from the detective when he climbed back into the car, she was surprised just how calm things were here and it wasn't what she had expected. Of course, things had been quiet where she had worked in Kansas but this was something else and Leola doubted that she was going to miss the drama that came with her streets back home. There was no chance of a robbery going wrong here nor was there likely to be much trouble from the teenagers that lived in this town; everyone knew everyone and that had its advantages as well when it came to a reduced crime rate.

"You can call me Antonio," Detective Ashton said offering a look to Leola, if they were going to work together then there wasn't much use to sticking to last names. While her gender had come as a surprise at first since he had been expecting a guy, the fact that there was an equal divide on those who worked in the station.

"You can call me Leo," Leola replied with a smile, she was used to the nickname and she had never liked being called Lala or Lola which her parents had called dibs on being used by anyone else. It was something that she expected her friends to call her and she hoped that would include her new co-workers in that when they got to know each other better. Antonio nodded his head, he guessed that was where he had gotten confused about her name when Charlie had told them that they would have a new member during their small squad.

"My parents have nicknames for me… but I prefer Leo," Leola explained at the look that he gave her, she guessed that he had expected her to be a boy because she had spoken to Charlie and he had probably called her by that. The two of them sat in silence while they drank their coffee, it was overcast and Leola had no doubts that it wouldn't be much longer before it was raining again. It hadn't done much else since she had arrived and Leola was relieved that she now had a car to drive around in when she was out; it saved getting completely soaked when she walked around town.

"Who should I avoid when I go shopping?" Leola asked raising an eyebrow at Antonio, she could only imagine what the local gossip mill was like here and there was usually one or two people that were behind the spreading of gossip. If she could avoid them then she would be set, she couldn't imagine what they would be saying about her since she had moved to Forks; she didn't want any trouble since she had just arrived.

Antonio laughed knowing that he could think of at least a group of women that she should avoid especially since he had been married to one of them and he knew how horrible they could get with their rumour spreading. Listening to Antonio as he started to tell her just who to avoid if she wanted to stay out of the local gossip mill that went on around here.

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	4. The Swan-Cullen Relationship

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

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 **Chapter Four: The Swan-Cullen Relationship.**

"Thanks for your help today," Leola said smiling at Antonio as they climbed out of the patrol car, it had been a good day so far and she was glad that things hadn't stayed awkward between them. It had been a quiet first shift and Leola couldn't imagine that tomorrow would be any different, something that made her even more convinced that she had made the right decision.

Antonio waved her off before the two of them headed for the door so that they could head inside the station; it was their break and the two of them had decided to head back to the station for lunch to check in. The door to the station pushed open and Leola came to a stop to allow the two teenagers to step out making her wonder why they weren't in school.

The teenage girl had a rather bulky cast on her left leg and seemed to be clinging on to the teenage boy that was with her so that she didn't fall over as she stepped out of the building. Antonio frowned at the sight of them, his eyes taking in the cast that encased the girl's leg and he couldn't help but feel angry when he turned his attention to her boyfriend. Neither said anything to the officers that they passed when they headed to the Volvo that was parked a little away from the entrance of the police station.

"Who was that?" Leola asked following Antonio inside, she thought the girl looked familiar but she couldn't place where she had seen her before. The reception was empty and Leola guessed that Diana had already gone to get her own lunch; she wouldn't have wandered far in case an emergency got called in, which while unlikely could still happen.

"Charlie's daughter and her oddball boyfriend," Antonio explained with a roll of his eyes, he didn't know what Isabella Swan saw in Edward Cullen but he didn't trust the boy for a moment. There was just something about him and Antonio feared that Isabella might have bitten off more than she could chew by dating him. Leola paused at the emotion in Antonio's voice, she wasn't sure what to make of it but it was strange to believe that he would dislike someone enough to speak out about it; he didn't seem the type to believe the small-town gossip mill.

"Sounds like you don't like him," Leola mused following him towards the staff room, she couldn't help but feel curious and why he might dislike a teenager. She might have only been in town a couple of days but she had heard quite a bit about the Cullens; they didn't seem to fit in to the quiet town that they moved to.

Leola had caught a glimpse of Esme Cullen while she had been shopping and had been rather taken back with how beauty the woman was; she looked more suited to a city like New York than a quiet town like this. The woman had been dressed from head to toe in the latest fashions and looked very much out of place while she walked around the store collecting her shopping.

"He's not the only one," Captain Stephens said knowing straight away who they were talking about, she had seen the two teenagers when she had arrived back herself. Charlie was in his office trying to sort through mountains of paperwork that needed doing; he wouldn't come out until it was time for him to go home. From what Diana had told her, Isabella was spending the evening at the Cullens house again after school; something that was a regular occurrence since prom.

"Captain," Leola greeted, her curiosity getting the better of her about why everyone seemed to dislike Edward Cullen; she didn't know the guy enough to form an opinion on him. Antonio pulled his lunch from the fridge and took a seat, a smile forming on his face at the sight of food before he was joined at the table by Leola and the Captain with their own lunches. The two deputies were covering the lunch-time rush around Forks making sure that no one was going over the speed limit; the main roads tended to get a little busy right now as everyone stopped for lunch.

"You can call me Jo," Captain Stephens insisted, she disliked her first name and she had been one of three Joanne's in her class when she had been at school. The room was empty except for the three of them and it made Leola feel a little more at easy about asking her questions; she couldn't imagine that she would get a better chance than this.

"What do you have against the boyfriend?" Leola questioned, she was curious and the fact that two police officers didn't like him did not send any good messages about Charlie's daughter's boyfriend. Joanne and Antonio shared a look before both nodding their heads, one more person keeping a close eye on things couldn't hurt. The more people who knew what was going on the better even if Charlie's daughter insisted that nothing had happened; they didn't trust Edward and they worried for Isabella.

"Okay get this… they'd been dating say a month before he met Charlie and within one date, Isabella was fleeing from Forks," Antonio explained getting into the story, he picked at his food knowing that if anything happened to his daughter like what had happened to Isabella then the boyfriend would be dead by now. Leola nodded her head and picked at her pasta salad, her eyes looking at the dark expression on Antonio's face while he recounted what had happened.

"No sooner as she taken off then so does Edward who apparently went after her to convince her to come back," Joanna added nodding her head, she remembered how upset Charlie had been when his daughter had just taken off like that. His biggest worry had always been that Isabella would hate living in Forks and that was what she had told Charlie before taking off; he hadn't even noticed that the Cullens had disappeared at the same time. Leola furrowed her brow, she didn't like where this was going and she had a feeling that this was just the start; she looked between her two co-workers wanting to hear more.

"Then Charlie gets a call from Edward's sister that Isabella fell down a flight of stairs and through a window when Edward came to her hotel," Joanne continued recalling how the call had come to the station since Charlie had been at work. He had been worried sick since Isabella hadn't been taking his calls and then suddenly, he had gotten that call from Alice; she had tried to reassure him but Charlie had insisted on flying out. Leola felt her stomach turn, every part of her tried to avoid coming to the same conclusion but her training made it even harder for her to ignore.

"Now that kid is accident prone… but not that much," Antonio murmured remembering how much Isabella tripped over her own feet, he didn't believe for a moment that she had somehow managed to fall down a flight of stairs and out of a window like the Cullens had said. He and Joanne had done research and they hadn't been able to find which hotel Isabella had apparently been staying at; they had called several but none of them had reports of a teenager falling through a window.

"Then she comes back to Forks but only hangs out with him and his family," Joanne said finally, she was sure that Isabella had friends before she started dating the Cullen boy but now she barely spent a moment of time with them. The friends that she had when she first arrived had been forgotten and now everywhere you went in Forks, all they talked about was the girl that spent all her time with the Cullens.

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	5. Search and Rescue

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Search and Rescue.**

Climbing out of her squad car, Leola shivered as the pouring rain hit her and she cursed wishing that she was back in her bed right now; she was sure that the hiker that had gone missing also wished the same thing. Making sure to grab her flashlight, Leola headed towards the search and rescue tent that had been set up; it was late at night and she doubted anyone else wanted to be here either.

Charlie was organising search teams to try and find the hiker that had gone missing, they had such a large area to search and they didn't have the numbers to take their time now. The hiker had called a friend before going missing and from what the friend had said, the call had cut short but the friend had told them that it had ended with the hiker screaming.

"What's happening?" Leola asked, she hadn't been told much about what was going on and she wanted to be up-to-date about what was going on here. The last thing that Leola wanted to do was stumble through the woods unsure of who she was looking for; she doubted getting lost herself was going to help the situation. Antonio handed her a picture of the man that they were going to be looking for, he was sure that the idiot had slipped down a ditch or something during the call.

"Peter Mills, 24, last heard from by the ridge," Antonio told her quietly so that he didn't interrupt Charlie while he organised everyone else; they would be heading out soon and it didn't look like the rain was going to stop. Leola stared down at the picture, he was a little older than she was and she couldn't imagine just how scared he must feel lost in the forest right now. Nodding her head, Leola looked back towards Charlie who was pairing everyone off; he didn't need any of his squad or the volunteers getting lost in the forest while they search for Peter.

* * *

Stumbling through the forest, Leola grumbled to herself annoyed feeling that they weren't making any progress in finding the missing hiker; they had been walking for hours and there was still no sign of him. The rain had only started to fall harder and Leola could feel the rain soaking through her jacket; her hair plastered to her face as she and Antonio tried to carry on their search. With each moment that past it became less and less likely that they would find the hiker alive in the forest; there was no news that anyone else had found him yet either.

"People really need to stop wandering off the trails," Antonio muttered shaking his head, it was more common for people to get lost in the forest and it always seemed to happen at the worst possible times. He grew tired of wandering through the woods searching for idiots that couldn't stick to simple rules; he couldn't imagine just what they would find when they would get there. Leola shot him a questioning look as they continued to try and find the missing hiker; the forest was dark and silent mostly around them with only the rain making any other sound.

"Did you have plans tonight?" Leola asked curiously, her light searched the area to the left and she couldn't see anything that stood out or would lead them to finding the hiker. The call couldn't have come at a worse time and Leola couldn't imagine what everyone else had been doing when the call had come through.

"I'm meant to have the kids tonight," Antonio revealed sure that his ex-wife would have a field day with this, she had been a nightmare since they'd gotten divorced and it didn't help that her mother was the town local gossip. If Laura Stanley had her way then Antonio would spend even less time with their two children; she had loved being a cop's wife when it benefited her and used it against him when it didn't.

"You have children?" Leola asked surprised, she hadn't been expecting that and she was sure that Antonio was a wonderful father; she guessed that's why he seemed to enjoy the quietness that came with Forks. There was hardly any trouble when it came to leaving in such a small town and it seemed like the perfect place to raise a family if she didn't want the big city rush. Antonio nodded his head as he thought about his two children, they were everything to him and he wished that he got to see more of them; it hurt when Laura used them as weapons against him.

"Eva is eleven and Diego is nine," Antonio informed her, he kept a picture of them in his locker and he carried one on him while he was on duty so he could remember why he did what he did. Everything that he did was for his two children and they deserved the best; he didn't care that Laura made his life hell if he got to see them.

Leola smiled at that, she was an only child and she'd always been extremely close with her father more so than her mother because of their shared temperament. Leona had never understood why Leola had wanted to come a police officer while her father had been a fire-fighter; he was proud that Leola had made such a choice when it came to wanting to help people.

The two of them carried on in silence for a few moments, thinking about their families and what they would rather be doing right now instead of being in the rain right now. Walking forward, Leola paused as she looked around the forest and she frowned looking at the bushes that lay just a little away from her.

Taking a wary step towards the bush, Leola shone her light onto it as she moved closer not sure what she had seen that made her stop; she was sure that she had seen something there. As she moved closer to the bush, the light from her torch reflected off a set of eyes in the bush and it made her pause knowing that there was no way that she could win any sort of fight with a bear. The eyes seemed to be staring right at her and Leola stumbled back attempting to put some distance between herself and the eyes; her heart pounded in her chest knowing that this could be it for her.

"Antonio?" Leola called frightened, she didn't know what she should do and it wasn't like she'd ever been in this situation before; she would have preferred to be face a drug dealer than a bear right now. The glowing eyes disappeared and Leola continued to back away from where she had seen them; she used her torch to try and spot where the creature had gone. Stumbling backwards, Leola was relieved when Antonio appeared and it didn't seem like the creature that had been watching them had disappeared.

"Everything okay?" Antonio asked catching her arm so that she didn't fall over, his eyes swept the area ahead of them and he frowned knowing that anything could be out there. They couldn't afford to be caught out here and he knew that they would be easy targets for anything that wished them harm since they could barely see in the dark. Leola swallowed and nodded her head, she felt a little more at easy now that he was stood next to her; she didn't know what she would have done if she had been out here alone.

"Charlie just radioed… they found a body," Antonio informed her, he didn't have to ask to know that it was probably the hiker that they had been searching for; they would have to head back to base camp now. Leola paled as she looked up at him, this couldn't be good especially considering how the phone call had ended.

* * *

Returning to the camp, Leola was relieved to see that the rain was finally starting to let up and she didn't have to worry too much more about getting soaked through; not that it mattered since she was wet right now. Joanne was across the clearing talking with Deputy Mark Thompson and Deputy Steve Jones; they were sipping on some warm drinks while Charlie dealt with the body.

"Animal attack?" Antonio asked approaching the trio along with Leola, he was saddened that their search had ended like this but he'd had a feeling that this would be how it ended. Joanne nodded her head, she had been part of the team that had founded what was left of the hiker; it wasn't pretty and it reminded her a lot of what had happened to Wayland.

The two had died in a similar way and Joanne couldn't help but feel angry that they were no closer to finding the monster that had done this. Leola looked around the small gathering and furrowed her brow, there were quite a few men from the local tribe here and she couldn't help but notice how unhappy they looked about something.

Her eyes wandered over to the tent where people were serving hot food and drink for those who had been searching for Peter Mills and where most of the glares where being focused. Esme Cullen had joined the people there and had a bright smile on her face while she worked; however, it wasn't hard to miss how uneasy she looked at the attention that she was receiving.

Leola watched her for a moment before her attention was called back to her co-workers; she was relieved when Charlie gave the order that they could start heading home. The body would be taken to the hospital so that they could examine it before it would be released to the family so that they could bury their loved one.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Leola said waving to Joanne, Steve and Mark as she and Antonio started to head back towards their cars so that they could head home; they had to be back in work in a few hours. It wasn't like they would get much sleep and Leola wanted to be as rested as possible for what came next; they would have to deal with the very upset family of Peter Mills.

Heading towards their cars, Leola considered taking a hot shower when she got home and going straight to bed; she didn't want to catch a cold when she had just started her job. The soggy ground beneath her feet squelched as she walked towards her car and Leola was relieved that she didn't slip as she went; she doubted that would look good if she fell in front of all these people.

"See ya," Antonio called jogging towards his own car, he would be able to call his kids before school now and he wanted to drop them off at school. Leola waved him off as she continued on to her own car, she shivered at the cold wind that blew through the clearing; she couldn't wait to blast the heat in her car.

Reaching her car, Leola stopped to find her keys when she spotted a couple of young men watching her from the edge of the trees; she couldn't help but stare wondering just what they were doing there. The tallest of the three seemed to be looking right across the field at her, she didn't know what it was but she felt like she was the source of his talk with his two companions.

Shaking her head, Leola climbed into her car and shut the door behind her; she was sure that she was just over tired and the sooner that she was back home the better. Watching the car leave, the three young men were silent knowing that tonight had changed things for them; it was clear that the legends that they had been told were truer than they had thought. They were going to have to deal with this now as well as the problem that they faced right now.

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	6. Neighbourhood Watch

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Search and Rescue.**

"Leo… Captain wants to see you," Antonio called popping his head into the locker room, it was the end of shift and everyone was getting ready to head home for the night while the night shift squad took over. The last month had been relatively quiet after the incident with the hiker that had been mauled to death by a bear; the most the station had to deal with right now was paperwork.

Leola looked up from her locker and groaned, she had been looking forward to heading home so that she could relax; her stomach grumbled in protest wanting to go home and eat. Shutting the locker, Leola grumbled under her breath as she grabbed her jacket and moved to head out of the locker room wondering what Joanne could want.

"Still on for tonight?" Antonio asked leaning against the door, he quite liked their Friday night tradition and it worked out well when things were rather dead in Forks. He had been stuck when his ex-wife had dumped the kids on him for the summer not entirely sure what to do with them especially when he'd only just moved into his new place. Nothing had been prepared for them to come and stay when Laura had turned up and dropped them off before jetting off for a holiday with her sister and some friends.

"Chinese okay?" Leola replied knowing that it was her turn to buy, she was more than happy to help Antonio out with decorating and it was better than sitting at home twiddling her thumbs doing nothing until she was tired. He had slowly become her best friend and Leola found herself feeling right at home in Forks now that she had been there for a couple of months.

Antonio waved her off before heading out to his car, he had to go and pick the kids up from the babysitter and he would see her later when she turned up with dinner. Heading towards Joanne's office, Leola was surprised to see the Captain standing outside of her office talking to an extremely tall man; she couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten through the front door without banging his head.

"Leola… this is Sam Uley, he runs the neighbourhood watch down in La Push," Joanne said spotting her, she smiled knowing that Leola would be the perfect fit for this and she was sure that it would be more appealing to the Detective than more paperwork. Leola nodded her head, she recalled Steve and Mark talking about the neighbourhood watch in La Push and the work that the group had been doing to clean up the streets dispute being labelled some sort of gang. Charlie had been filled with nothing but praise for the group and their work, he was pleased to see that certain members had even gone on to turn their lives around having arrested at least one or two of them in the past.

"It's nice to meet you," Sam greeted with a smile, he had been unsure what to expect when he had stepped into the station but that hadn't deterred him from his plan. Leola shook his hand, she couldn't help but feel like she had seen him before and she couldn't place where; she guessed it was one of those things that would come to her later when it didn't matter anymore.

"Charlie was wondering if you would mind being the police liaison with the watch," Joanne said smiling, she had read Leola's file and it was something that she'd done in the past when she lived in Kansas. It would be good to keep an eye on things especially if the rumours were true that the gang had driven off a drug dealer; they would need to find out just where he might have disappeared to. They didn't need him showing up and trying to sell to the kids that went to school in their district.

"I'd be more than happy to," Leola said nodding, she was sure that she was being asked for a reason and it seemed like a more interesting thing to do than sit around doing paperwork. Her job could get a bit repetitive and Leola was glad that there wasn't too much for them to deal with here; she liked the calm that seemed to settle when they were working.

Sam smiled pleased that she had agreed, he had been unsure how to approach her after he had imprinted and he had no one that he could turn to that could give him proper advice about this. In the year since he'd first phased, Sam had found his entire life turned upside down with what was going on and he was glad that he wasn't so alone in his duties even if the turning of more boys did upset him.

Jared Cameron and Paul Lahote were good company, he honestly didn't know who would be next to phase especially with no sign of the bloodsuckers making decisions to leave the area. In fact, they seemed far too interested in Bella Swan, a fact that worried Sam to no end since he very much doubted that he, Jared and Paul would be able to stop seven vampires should they decide to bite her. The incident back May had really caught their attention and they had feared that Bella might end up being turned; it truly had surprised and worried them that she had come back still human.

"I will leave you both to discuss details," Joanne noted before disappearing back into her own office, she had a little work left to do before she could head home that evening. The closing of the office door behind Joanne left the two standing rather awkwardly in silence and Leola couldn't help but stare just a little bit at how tall this guy was. If she had to guess then she would have to say that he was around six foot five and that really was a surprise considering how normal people seemed to be around here.

"I would be more than happy to come down to La Push to discuss details with you tomorrow," Leola offered knowing that it was getting late and she was sure that Sam would want to get back to his family or something. Her eyes peeked towards his ring finger surprised to see that there was no sign at all of a wedding ring; she found it rather odd especially since Sam was a very good-looking man, maybe he had a girlfriend or something.

"That sounds great… erm, do you know Sue's café?" Sam asked pleased that he would get to see more of her, he was just a little disappointed that he couldn't spend a little more time with her right now. It had taken him awhile to work up the courage to even come in and speak with her, something that had made Jared and Paul tease him while they watched in their wolf forms from a distance.

Leola nodded her head, she knew the place and had driven past it quite a few times when she'd been on patrol with Antonio; it looked a nice place and she'd been meaning to go in there at some point. A lot of the Forks residents went to the Lodge to have dinner and it was a place where Charlie had eaten almost religiously, from what Leola had heard, before Bella came to live with him.

"That sounds great… I'll see you there about nine," Leola said knowing that she had patrol the next morning with Antonio, they had noticed that a couple of the kids from Forks thought that they could take short-cuts to avoid being detected by the police when they were spending. They'd pulled over the Newton kid and a couple of his jock friends almost weekly and it was starting to be amusing with the types of lies that they'd tell when caught out.

Hell, they'd even caught one of the Cullens, one of the older boys with his girlfriend doing nearly triple the speed limit one afternoon when they'd stopped to get coffee on the way back to the station. Sam nodded his head at her suggestion, he looked forward to seeing her and he hoped that nothing would ruin their meeting..

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	7. Sue's Cafe

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: Sue's Café.**

Stepping into the café, Leola was relieved to be out of the rain as she shrugged off her coat and looked around trying to see if Sam was there yet; she guessed that he was running late since he wasn't there yet. It had been raining hard all morning and it didn't help that she'd had to pull over some stupid teenagers who had been speeding on the way to school; she had been soaked while giving them a ticket. Leola looked out of the window that she was sat by and hoped that she wouldn't be waiting too long for Sam to arrive; she was hoping the rain would have died off a little by then.

"What can I get you?" the waitress asked catching Leola by surprise, she hadn't heard anyone approach and she turned quickly to see the woman that was stood behind her. The waitress raised an eyebrow at Leola waiting for her to reply, it was unusual that they got newcomers here and she guessed that this was the new police officer that everyone had been talking about.

"Coffee please," Leola said not knowing how long she would be here, she wasn't sure what to expect from this meeting but she didn't want to order food if he was going to show her around La Push. Nodding her head, the waitress left to get her order leaving Leola alone in her thoughts again before Sam arrived; the door opened allowing a cool breeze to fill the café before it shut again. Looking around the café, Sam couldn't help but feel extremely nervous about this; he was hopeful that this would go well so that he could spend more time around his imprint.

"Have you been waiting long?" Sam asked sitting across from Leola, he was pleased to see that she had come and he hoped that he hadn't kept her waiting long. He'd gone back to his house after his patrol shift to have a shower and get changed since the last thing that he wanted was to smell bad when this was the first time that he'd be alone with her.

"Just a couple of minutes," Leola replied with a smile, she was glad that she wasn't sat here alone anymore and she wanted to get a head start on this; she saw no reason to waste time when this work was important. The last thing that they wanted was to allow people like this drug dealer to slip through their fingers; he had to be caught before his actions lead to serious consequences. Both jumped when Leola's coffee was set on the table and they turned to look at the waitress who had an unreadable expression on her face while she stared at Sam.

"Leah," Sam greeted awkwardly, he hadn't realised that she would be here today instead of attending the college course that she had selected to do; he had hoped to avoid such an awkward meeting with his ex-girlfriend. It had been nearly six months since things had ended between them and Sam knew that they had made the right decision to end things when they had done.

After phasing into a wolf, Sam had tried to carry on like nothing had changed when it came to Leah but his heart just hadn't been in it especially when the council had denied his request to tell her the secret. Things had fallen apart slowly from there until they'd been forced to sit down and admit that it was time they parted; it was good to see that their break-up hadn't ruin things completely.

"Sam," Leah replied stiffly, she looked at Leola for a moment before a frown formed on her face; she turned and walked away knowing that this was bound to happen eventually. They had been broken up for a while now and Sam had every right to move on and so did she; she wasn't sure that she would ever get used to the idea that Sam was going to date other people

Sitting in silence for a moment, Leola couldn't help but feel awkward about what had happened; she hoped that she wasn't causing trouble since she was only here meeting with Sam for work. Clearing his throat, Sam focused on Leola glad that was over and he could focus on the matter at hand; he truly hadn't meant to come here while Leah was working since he didn't want to make things worse between them. Not everyone had been understanding when they had called things off and Sam was sure that people would certainly have something to say about this when he moved on.

"Do you have any ideas on how you'd like to start?" Leola asked trying to get the meeting underway, she sipped on her coffee trying to shake the feeling that they were being watched. They were in a public space and Leola guessed that the awkward greeting between Sam and the waitress might be the reason that she felt like they were now being watched.

Resting his hands on the table, Sam stared at Leola not sure where to begin; he hadn't really thought this far only that he was finally talking with his imprint. The silence lasted a moment and Leola raised an eyebrow at him before she decided to take the lead; she wanted to get a jump start on this.

"What can you tell me about the guy that you ran off the reservation?" Leola asked knowing that they needed every detail if they were going to catch him; they couldn't allow him to escape if he was breaking the law. Sam blinked before he wracked his brain for answers, this was not how he had imagined this going and he had hoped that they would have a pleasant conversation before work got in the way.

However, the fact that Leola was here talking to him right now was worth it and he knew that with the introduction made that it would open the path to them talking more when this was dealt with.

* * *

The next hour was spent nailing down details until Leola was satisfied with everything, she sat back in her seat and peeked out of the window disappointed to see that it was still raining. Wrinkling her nose, Leola didn't relish in the thought of getting wet and she had a feeling that the rain would carry on for the rest of the day; it was the one thing that seemed to let down living in Forks.

"Not a fan of the rain?" Sam asked spotting her expression, he was pleased that she had stayed so long to talk to him even if it was entirely work related so far. He looked out of the window and wasn't surprised with how bad the weather was, it didn't matter that it wasn't meant to be summer; it always seemed to rain here. Leola shook her head, her eyes watching the droplets of rain trail down the window before she turned back to Sam; she was glad that she had made the move so that she could spread her wings.

"I'm from Kansas… this is more rain than I'm used to," Leola admitted with a smile, she could only imagine how her parents would feel when they came to spend the holidays with her. Her mother had called her last night with the exciting news that they had decided to spend Christmas with Leola in Forks wanting to see the town that had become her home.

Sam nodded his head, he could imagine how different things where here compared to Kansas; it was quite a distance for her to come just for work. Opening his mouth to say something, Sam found himself being interrupted; he frowned at Emily as she approached their table with a frown on her face.

"You couldn't have found somewhere else to take your new girlfriend? It had to be the café where your ex-girlfriend works," Emily snapped not believing how cold Sam was being about this entire thing. First, he had disappeared for weeks without an explanation, then he had been keeping secrets from Leah and that had eventually lead to the breakdown in their relationship and how things were now. It had been Emily that had been there for Leah when Sam had disappeared, she didn't know what had happened on his trip but she didn't believe for a moment that he had been on a spiritual walk like the Elders claimed.

"Emily," Sam warned, he had thought that she had gone back to the Makah reservation to visit her family; he was growing tired of her constantly causing him problems. Leah had been accepting of their end and Sam knew that it hadn't been easy for her to do so; the same could not be said about Emily, who had done everything she could to support her cousin after the break-up. It had made Sam happy that Leah had moved on with her life, she was training to be a nurse and when she wasn't at college then she was here working at her mother's café to make a little extra money.

"You have no idea how much you hurt her and still hurt her by showing up like this," Emily ranted glaring at Sam, she had held Leah when she had cried when things had ended and the dreams that she had for the future had become undone. Leola blinked, she peeked towards the waitress that had served them earlier and saw how mortified she looked at the face that Emily was doing this in the middle of the café. The café seemed suddenly so quiet after Emily's outburst and Leola wasn't surprised to find that people had stopped talking to listen in to what was happening.

"Leah and I have talked about this," Sam explained gently, he didn't know why Emily kept jumping in and he knew that things weren't going to get better if she kept bringing up the past. Emily seemed to be the main person who clung to the fact that Sam and Leah were no longer together; things would be a lot easier if she constantly wasn't going on about it.

"I'm not his girlfriend… I'm here on business with the Police Department," Leola pointed out, she had no idea what was going on here but she wasn't about to be caught in some petty fight when she was on duty. The last thing that Leola wanted to do was pry but she could guess that Sam and Leah had dated at some point and it hadn't ended well since Emily was here trying to cause trouble. Emily blinked surprised at the fact, she eyed Leola not sure whether to believe the woman or not; she turned her attention back to Sam not finished with him yet.

"I have to get back to the station but I look forward to our next meeting," Leola said nodding to Sam, she had no intentions in hanging around for the argument that was bound to come. Emily clearly had some things to get off her chest and Leola doubted that it was going to be pleasant; she grabbed her coat before starting to make her way out of the café.

Watching her leave, Sam frowned before turning to look at Emily wondering just how long she was going to drag this out. It wouldn't end well if he got back together with Leah now and he was thankful that things had ended before Leola had come into the picture; he had loved Leah and he wanted her to be happy.

"This has to stop Emily… I don't know what you want from me," Sam murmured shaking his head, he got to his feet glad that he had better control of himself now than when he had first phased. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt anyone and with Emily constantly pushing his buttons he couldn't imagine that it would end well.

Moving to leave, Sam passed Leah who offered him a look of apology before he headed out into the rain so that he could get back to work; this wasn't how he had wanted the meeting with Leola to end, but there was very little that he could do about that now.

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	8. Worrying for Nothing

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: Worrying for Nothing.**

Raising an eyebrow as she spotted a very stressed out looking Charlie, Leola hadn't seen her boss ever looking this stressed out and she couldn't imagine anything could do so; let alone over the phone. Spotting Diana by the coffee machine, Leola decided to ask her what was going on and she hoped that it wasn't another disappearance in Seattle; it looked like there was a serial killer on the loose.

"Whose Charlie talking to?" Leola asked moving to make herself a drink, her eyes drifting back to Charlie who was running a hand through his hair and looked defeated. Having just returned from her weekly meeting with Sam, Leola was surprised to find that she rather enjoyed meeting up with him and their talks weren't completely worked based now.

Leola found herself taking an interest in Sam and she liked hearing his stories about La Push; she was even surprised when he had invited her along to a council meeting. Spending time with Sam had awoken Leola's interest in the area and she often found herself reading some of the local legends before heading to bed. The books that she had found weren't much but they were a lot more helpful than the ones at the local library; she had ordered the ones she had off the internet and they were interesting.

"His ex-wife… she called to 'organise' him for their daughter's birthday this month," Diana explained with a roll of her eyes, this happened every year for Bella's birthday and she couldn't believe that Renee was still getting away with this crap. Last year, it had been that Bella needed a new laptop and Renee had gotten her a laptop bag for it to go in; she always waited until a couple of weeks before Bella's birthday to make the call.

"My bet is, she chose the cheap gift for herself and wants Charlie to get the expensive part of it," Diana said annoyed, she honestly didn't know how Renee managed to get away with it. She wished Charlie would stand up for himself, especially now that Bella was living here in Forks with him and had been since January; it should be Renee who had the better income right now that she splash the cash on the gift.

Leola raised an eyebrow, she had heard little about Charlie's ex-wife and from what she had heard Renee was a flighty woman who lived across the country. Charlie exited his office looking more than a little put off, he couldn't believe this and he wished Renee wouldn't wait until it was this close to Bella's birthday to drop things like this on him.

He didn't say a word to Diana knowing that she could understand, he had to go and pick up Bella's birthday present; Renee had decided to get Bella a photo album leaving Charlie to get the expensive camera that she had picked out. It was annoying and while Charlie appreciated the help that he was given, he really didn't like how he always got the short end of the stick when it came to gift giving.

He honest had no idea what to get Bella, she didn't tend to ask for much and was always glued to her boyfriend anyway; it would be nice if just for once he had his daughter to himself. It certainly didn't help that just that morning he had been informed that Bella would be attending a party at the Cullens house on her birthday; he liked Alice but even she seemed to pull his daughter away from him more now.

Bella would be spending most of her birthday with the Cullens and Charlie had hoped that he would get to take his daughter out for a meal even if it did mean that he had to invite the boyfriend as well. Now he would probably only get to see Bella for a couple of hours before Alice and Edward whisked her away.

* * *

Pulling up outside her house, Leola was almost surprised when she saw Sam sitting on the porch steps waiting for her; she had seen him just that morning and she wasn't sure what would bring him to her place. Slowly climbing out of her car, Leola made sure that she had everything before shutting the door behind her and starting to walk towards the porch were Sam waited patiently.

He had been rather lucky that there hadn't been a drop of rain that day otherwise he would have been soaked; Sam got to his feet nervously as he watched her approach him. Already he could imagine the teasing that he would get from Paul and Jared about this, they hadn't been able to resist annoying him about the fact that he still hadn't asked Leola out.

It had been over a month now since he had imprinted on Leola and while things were going well building a friendship with her; he felt like he should ask her out while he had the chance. Sam had noticed how close she was with Antonio and he didn't want to wait around before something happened there even if Leola and Antonio were just friends.

"Is everything okay?" Leola asked sure that if it had been work related then he would have come by the station to talk to her; she was tired and she wanted to get inside and shower. Charlie had been rather grumpy all day and his mood hadn't improved when Bella had shown up with Edward wanting to tell him that she was having dinner over at the Cullens house.

Sam nodded his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets, he had never felt so nervous in his life and he remember when he had asked Leah out. That had been easy and it had helped that he had been so sure that she had liked him in return; however, with Leola, he didn't know that and it made him even more nervous. Stopping beside Sam, Leola looked up at him and waited to see what he had to say and she hoped that everything was alright; he looked nervous and she couldn't imagine why he would feel that way coming to her.

"I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me on Saturday?" Sam said trying to sound a lot more confident than he felt; he had been trying to figure out the best way to do this for weeks now. Nothing that he came up with seemed right and now here he was standing on her porch asking her out to dinner on Saturday; it wasn't the best but he didn't know how else to do it.

He'd even sat in their meeting that morning trying to find the best time to ask her and the words couldn't pass his lips; he had kicked himself when she had walked out of the café without him being able to do it. Leola stared at him a little taken back, she hadn't been expecting this and her mind went completely blank as she scrambled to come up with an answer.

It wasn't something that she had considered with her move to Forks for work, she had been so invested in making sure that she found her feet that the idea of dating had slipped her mind. Her silence freaked Sam out, he couldn't believe that he had been so stupid; he should have planned this out better and been more prepared than this.

"I would like that," Leola said softly, she couldn't remember the last time that she'd been on a date and she was working hard so she deserved some fun. It did help that she found Sam attractive, she had thought that since they'd first been introduced and it helped that she enjoyed their meetings when they had finished talking about business. A smile formed on Sam's face when he realised that she wasn't turning him down, his mind racing with plans on how he could make their first date a success.

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	9. The First Date

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: The First Date.**

Looking at herself in the mirror, Leola took a deep breath as she smoothed out her jumper and hoped that her outfit was alright; she didn't know what Sam had planned for their date. It had been a while since she'd been on a date and Leola knew that she wanted it to go well; she worked hard, and she knew that it wasn't only her work life that she wanted to succeed in.

She hadn't said anything to anyone about the fact that she was going out with Sam tonight; the last thing that she wanted was to add more pressure on something that was just starting out. Leola had no idea what was going to happen or how things would progress between her and Sam; she wanted to take things slow so that it wouldn't mess with their work.

A knock at the door snapped Leola out of her thoughts and she took a deep breath before she headed out of her bedroom and towards the front door so that she could answer it. Opening the door, Leola smiled at the sight of Sam who looked rather nervous about standing outside her door; he had flowers for her and she was could see that he was as nervous as she was.

"Hi," Sam greeted, he held out the flowers for her to take and he hoped that he had gotten the right ones; he had opted for some wild-flowers that had been growing in his garden instead of going to the store to buy them. Leola smiled as she took them, they were pretty, and she knew that she had a vase for them somewhere; inviting Sam inside, she hurried to find a vase to put them in.

Watching Leola disappear into the kitchen, Sam looked around the hallway admiring the pictures that lined the walls; he paused at a picture of who he assumed where Leola and her parents. They were at a graduation of some kind and they looked happy, the sun shining down on them and it made him smile.

"That was my graduation from high school," Leola noted spotting the picture that he was staring at, it seemed like a life-time ago since then and so much had changed for her since she had left school. Sam jumped a little surprised and turned around to see her, he tilted his head at the fond smile on her face; he wondered what she thought about when she looked at that the picture.

"I don't think they ever expected me to become a police officer even back then," Leola said with a shake of her head, she knew that they would have preferred her to become a teacher or something, but she had wanted to help people. Sam smiled at that, he couldn't picture Leola as anything else and he was sure that her parents were proud of the road that she had taken; she was good at her job and it had brought her to him.

"Shall we?" Leola asked, she doubted that he wanted to linger around her doorway all night; she was curious to see what he had planned for their first date. Nodding his head, Sam smiled before leading Leola out to his car so that they could get going; he had struggled with what to do for their first date and hoped that she would like what he had planned for their date.

Leola shut the door behind her and hoped that things weren't going to end badly, the start of the date seemed to be going well and she hoped it would stay this way. Opening the door for Leola, Sam smiled as she climbed into his truck; his hands felt a little sweaty and he couldn't believe how nervous he was about this.

He wanted this to be different from when he went on his first date with Leah, he didn't want to repeat how that had gone with his deserved different since she wasn't his ex-girlfriend, he wanted her to see that he was the one for her.

* * *

"Sam?" Leola whispered in awe of the fact that he had done this for her, it wasn't what she had been expecting and she was surprised that he had done all of this for her; she had expected something simple for their first date. A canopy had been erected in his back garden with a table inside for them to eat at, candles were the only light, but it was perfect that way.

A smile formed on Sam's face when he saw her face, he was pleased that he had caught her by surprise; if it hadn't been for Jared and Paul then he would have never gotten this ready in time. They had helped him plan everything for tonight and they were happy to help in any way that they could; it had been a nightmare being stuck in Sam's head when he had been panicked about what he should do for his date with Leola.

"Do you like it?" Sam asked leading her over to the canopy, he was glad that the rain had held off and he hoped that the sheets would be enough to keep them dry should it start raining. Stepping into the canopy, Leola couldn't find the words to describe it and she knew that it must have taken him all afternoon to put this together; she felt special and it had been a while since she had felt that way.

"I can't believe you did this for me," Leola whispered, she had expected dinner at some restaurant for their first date, but she preferred this; she couldn't believe he had gone through all this trouble for her. It was perfect, and she was glad that she had put on something warm for their date, it was a little chilly out and Leola hoped that it wouldn't get any colder; she stared in awe at the work that he had done.

Sam grinned at the look on her face before he moved to get the picnic basket that he had put together for them; he'd asked Sue for some help on making this perfect and she had been happy to Emily who seemed determined to drive every woman who spoke with Sam away, Leah's mother was happy to see him move on from his failed relationship with her daughter.

She wasn't surprised that things had fizzled out for them and she was happy that they had ended things before Sam had gone on to imprint on Leola; she could only imagine what would have happened if Sam had still been with Leah. There was no way that her daughter would have taken that well and Leola would have had to deal with Leah as well as Emily then.

"You didn't have to do all of this," Leola insisted with a shake of her head, she loved what he had done, and she hoped that it hadn't been too much trouble. She imagined that setting the canopy up had been a nightmare and she was sure that he'd gotten some help to put it up; it was like building a fort when she had been a little girl with her bedsheets. Sam set the picnic basket on the table, he could see how amazed she was by this and he was glad that he hadn't taken her to some dull restaurant; it would have cost him a fortune especially with his appetite.

"I wanted tonight to be special," Sam insisted, he was sure that they would always look back on tonight and smile; it would be a story to tell their children one day. Leola smiled at that, she nodded as Sam started to serve food and her stomach grumbled at the smell; she was starving, everything smelled so good.

Everything looked home-made and Sam was glad that he'd had some help putting the food together; he doubted that it would have been this good if he hadn't had Sue's help. Slowly the two started up on pleasant conversation while they enjoyed their food; both of them happy with how their first date was going and hoping that their next would be just as successful.

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	10. Interrupted Date

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: Interrupted Date.**

Climbing out of her squad car, Leola couldn't help but smile at the sight of Sam waiting for her on her door step; things had been going well since their first date and she was surprised that they had managed to make things work. Work was keeping her busy and Leola was happy about how things were working out; the more time that she spent in Forks, the better things seemed to get for her. Leola had been so unsure when she had taken the move and she had worried that things wouldn't work out or she would find small town life wasn't going to agree with her.

"I didn't think you'd be coming," Leola greeted, she knew that they had plans but things had been a little busy on the reservation in the last few days. Sam hadn't said much about it, but Leola was sure that things would settle down soon; they'd managed lunch, a few days earlier but that had been all with them both working all the time.

"You mentioned dinner and my evening freed up… I hoped that's okay," Sam checked, he was glad to have some time with Leola and things hadn't been easy with the Cullens sudden decision to disappear. Only Edward seemed to remain and that had made Sam uneasy, the fear remained that Bella would be turned, and they would do it soon.

A smile appeared on Leola's face, she moved quickly up the steps of the porch as Sam moved aside so that she could unlock the front door and they could move inside. The house was chilly, and Leola moved quickly to shut the door behind Sam, she didn't want to let the cold in; she couldn't believe how cold it was getting since it was only mid-September.

She shrugged off her coat and moved to put the heating on, she smiled to herself at the clunking sounding that came from the boiler before it came to life. Sam frowned at the sound, it didn't sound good and he made a mental note to fix that before Leola was left without heating in the middle of winter; he doubted that she would handle that well.

"I don't have much planned," Leola confessed not sure what to make for dinner, she wished that she'd been able to make a trip to the grocery store before he had come; she was hoping that she would be able to put together a decent meal. Sam nodded his head, he didn't really mind, and he was sure whatever she prepared would be fine; he was here to spend time with her and that's what mattered to him.

He had really enjoyed their first date and hadn't been able to stop thinking about it, something was starting to really annoy Paul and Jared. The two were happy for him and they were curious about when Sam might share the news that he was a wolf with Leola; they couldn't imagine that he would wait too long to do it.

The tribal elders had already talking about inviting Leola to hear the legends and welcome her into the tribe; they didn't seem to understand why Sam would want to wait to tell her. Opening the fridge, Leola stared at the contents and frowned; she wracked her mind trying to figure out what to make for dinner when her house phone started to ring. She sighed and closed the fridge before moving to answer it, she had only left work twenty minutes ago and she had a feeling that they were calling about something.

"Hello?" Leola asked answering the call, she wasn't even surprised to find that it was Joanne calling from the police station; she listened to what the captain had to say before her stomach dropped. This certainly wasn't what she had been expecting and there was no way that she could ignore the call especially when it was one of their own that needed help.

* * *

Pulling up outside of the Chief's house, Leola stared at the gathering and sighed before moving to get out of her car; she was grateful that Sam had been so understanding about the situation. He had been kind enough to come and help as well as calling some others from La Push to come; he had said that they knew the forest around here better than anyone.

Leola wasn't going to argue with him, they would need all the help that they could get if they were going to find Bella Swan; her father had come home around an hour ago to find her missing with a note stating that she'd gone for a walk in the woods after school. That had been hours ago, and Charlie had been worried especially as it was now getting dark and there was no sign of Bella returning; it was worrying, and the girl didn't have the best co-ordination.

Sam slowly followed Leola as she approached the chief, he feared the worst and he knew that if the Cullens had broken the treaty the poor Charlie would suffer. He knew that Billy had tried to warn Bella away from her relationship with Cullen, they had all hoped that she would see sense and now they would have to deal with the consequences of that.

Leola had mentioned to him once before how odd and unhealthy Bella's relationship with Cullen seemed and Sam had to agree with her even ignoring the fact that he was a vampire. Now Bella was missing and from what Paul and Jared had texted him, there were no signs of the Cullens at their house; making them think the vampires had fled with Bella and maybe even turned her. It was the worst-case scenario in Sam's mind and he truly hoped that it hadn't happened, he wasn't sure that Charlie would ever recover from losing his daughter; her death would be faked, or she would just go missing.

"Chief," Sam greeted approaching Charlie, there were many that had come to help him search for Bella even with the night quickly descending upon them; it wouldn't be long before human eyes wouldn't be able to search the woods around the house. There was no sign of Bella so far and Sam very much doubted that she was close to the place that she had called home along with her father.

Charlie didn't look up as he stared down at the map before him, he had tried calling the Cullens, but no one was home; he had even gone around hoping that Bella was there. The house was empty, and Charlie was left wondering just where his daughter was, he didn't think she would be so foolish to walk in the woods alone this late.

Leola had gone to speak with Antonio who was filling her in on what they knew so far, they were all worried and with the Cullens sudden absence; there was no denying that something just didn't seem to add up. No one dared say it aloud in fear that it might be true, but Bella had never hiked in her life and there was no reason for her to be out in those woods alone.

Sam nodded to Billy as he moved past him towards the trees, he had to check in with Paul and Jared; he was sure they'd been able to find something in wolf form that everyone else had missed. Looking up from her conversation with Antonio, Leola's eyes swept the clearing that was being used for the gathering and tried to spot Sam, who had completely disappeared.

She frowned as she wondered just where he could be, she turned back to her conversation with Antonio sure that he hadn't gone far. Little did she know that a black wolf watched her from a distance before it disappeared further into the forest to join his brothers; they would find Bella faster than the search team would if she was still here. They didn't have much time and the wolf didn't know what he would find if they found Bella.

* * *

"I'm going to try the Cullens place again," Charlie muttered frustrated, it was getting late and there was still no sign of Bella; he didn't know what he would do if something had happened to her. He had tried to be home more now that she lived with him, but he was the chief of police and he had so many responsibilities; it certainly didn't help that she was so infatuated with Edward. Joanne stood at his side while he started to dial the number, she wished that there was something that she could do to help him; she had gone to the Cullens house twice in the last few hours but there was still no sign of them.

"The Cullens left town Charlie," Billy said surprised that Charlie hadn't heard the news before now, he was relieved that they had done so, and he prayed that more boys would be spared the fate that Sam, Jared and Paul had shared. He stared up at his friend, the news had come directly from Jared and he knew that they could only pray that Bella hadn't gone with them or had been changed. The group around Charlie all seemed to fall silent and Leola couldn't believe that no one had said anything about that until now; they could be dealing with an abduction case for all they knew.

"What? What are you talking about? No one told me anything about that," Charlie said panicking, he was sure that was something Bella would have mentioned to him if she had known. Unless she had planned to just take off with them, he didn't think that his daughter would be cruel enough to put him through that just, so she could be with her boyfriend and best friend.

Harry Clearwater muttered something under his breath that she didn't quite catch but from the look that filled Charlie's face; it wasn't something that her boss considered helpful and Harry seemed to know it. There were so few people left searching for Bella and the chances of finding her alive were slowly running out; they had a limited time window and this new information changed everything.

"Charlie," Jacob Black called staring at the edge of the tree line where Sam had appeared causing the gathering to turn around and look at him; he was carrying Bella in his arms. Bursting into action, Charlie rushed towards Sam relief filling him at the sight of his daughter; his heart pounding in his chest knowing that Renee wouldn't have forgiven him if he had lost her.

Sam came to a stop as Charlie reached him and quickly assured the man aloud that Bella was alright; his eyes quickly catching Billy with the secret meaning of his words. Bella hadn't been bitten and while she was a little cold and wet, she would be find physically even if her murmurings about Edward leaving her did leave Sam a little concerned.

He didn't resist when Charlie took Bella from him and watched the man carry her towards the house while a doctor that was on hand moved to check that she was truly okay. Sam let out a deep breath and looked over at Jacob, he could see the younger man glaring at him and he knew that with the changes already taking place that it wouldn't be long before he joined them.

Billy had been sure that his son would change and when the time was right, Sam would happily step down from his position as alpha so Jacob could lead. His attention moved to Leola as she approached him after waving off Antonio, he smiled pleased to see her and he knew it was getting late and they still hadn't eaten.

"So dinner?" Sam asked with a smile, he was hopeful that she would say yes and he looked forward to it; Paul and Jared had already told him that they planned to celebrate the Cullens leaving. Only a couple more wolves would phase with them gone and no one else would have to suffer like they had.

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	11. Making Plans

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: Making Plans.**

"I was wondering what you were doing for Thanksgiving?" Leola asked peeking at Sam curiously, she focused on platting up dinner as she waited for him to answer her; she was glad that they had been able to get together tonight. It had been over a month now since the incident where Bella Swan had gotten lost in the forest and things had been going well for Leola and Sam. They made dinner together most nights when Leola wasn't working the late shift and Leola couldn't believe that things were going so well for them.

"Not much… my mother is away so probably just spend the day alone," Sam replied helping in anyway that he could, he didn't really celebrate and had decided that he would rather patrol so that Jared and Paul could spend the day with their families. It had been quiet since the Cullens had left town and Sam was thankful for that, he was glad that they didn't have to worry about the leeches anymore. If things continued down this path, then they could slowly start to think about going back to normal and giving up phasing when they had enough control.

"Oh… I was thinking that maybe you could come here?" Leola suggested a little nervous, she left awkward about asking but she knew that the worst that he could say was no. Her parents had just finalised their details about coming to stay with her for a long weekend and Leola knew that they were excited to see her life in Forks. Sam raised an eyebrow at her, he was a little surprised that she was asking him; he hadn't considered that she might like to have him around for the holiday.

"My parents are coming to visit, and I know they'd love to meet you," Leola explained, she had found herself talking more about Sam than work when she spoke to her mother on the phone. Leona had been curious when Leola had mentioned Sam and had been rather surprised that her daughter had become so taken with someone; she had thought that would never happen since Leola was so focused on her career.

"We eat loads of food, play board games, watch movies, my dad will bring the old family videos and you'll get to laugh at how adorable I look covered in paint," Leola stated hoping to reassure him, they didn't really celebrate the tradition Thanksgiving and mainly used it as an excuse to spend so much needed time together unless she was working. Sam smiled at how she rambled, he couldn't help but smile at the look on her face before she noticed that he was staring at her.

"You want me to meet your parents?" Sam asked a little surprised that she wanted to take that step, he had thought it would be a little longer before he had to deal with the meeting of the parents. He hadn't even considered taking Leola to meet his mother yet and he wasn't sure when he would; he adored his mother, but he didn't want her to scare Leola off. Sam still wasn't sure how he would tell her about the tribal legends yet and he had no idea how he would tell her that he turned into a giant wolf or the fact that he had imprinted on her.

"Of course, you are important to me," Leola said smiling at him, she was certain about this and of him; she didn't know what it was, but she felt like nothing could ruin this for them. A smile formed on Sam's face at that, he hadn't thought that things would go so well for them; they had been dating for a month and he still hadn't told her his secret. He wasn't sure that he was ready to do so just yet, he was worried about scaring her off and he didn't know how to explain any of this to her; he was sure that she would run away screaming.

"You're important to me too," Sam said moving to stand next to her, he had never felt this way about anyone and he could see why he had imprinted on Leola; she was everything that he had ever wanted in a partner. Things hadn't been this easy for him when he had been dating Leah, he had never thought that things could be this simple and he thanked the ancestors for helping him find Leola.

Leaning forward, Leola felt a little nervous before she kissed Sam; things had been going well and this was the first time that she had felt the time was right. Sam carefully wrapped his arms around Leola, he was thrilled that she felt so comfortable with him; he had been worried that it would take months if not years for them to reach this point.

Pulling back, Leola couldn't keep the smile off her face as she looked up at Sam; she found herself falling for him and she was excited that they had reached this point. Sam brushed some hair behind her ear before allowing her to finish preparing dinner; he smiled to himself doubting that he would forget that moment anytime soon.

"How do the plans go for the drug raid?" Sam asked knowing that all the information that he had given about the drug dealer was leading up to the man being arrested. The sooner the man was behind bars the better and Sam was determined to see him off the streets before someone got hurt by what he was doing. The last thing that Sam wanted was for someone to die because of the drug dealer's actions, he was doing his best to make sure that he wasn't selling in La Push but that didn't stop him selling in Forks.

"Planning is going well… the date is set and we're just preparing for whatever might come our way," Leola replied, she didn't want to talk about work especially after kissing Sam, but she knew that there was no way to really avoid it. Sam nodded his head, he didn't know how he felt about Leola being there for the arrest, but it was her job and he wasn't going to stop her; he just hoped that she was going to be okay.

"Dinner is served," Leola announced snapping him out of his thoughts, she flashed a smile to Sam as he came over to her and helped talk the plates over to the table while she grabbed their drinks. It was nice to have the evening off and Leola was thankful that she'd been able to have dinner with Sam tonight; she didn't know what was going on at the Swan household, but Charlie hadn't been right since what had happened last month.

Charlie had looked exhausted recently and the talk in the locker room was that Bella wasn't taking her break-up with Edward well; they were worried for their chief and they wished that they knew how to help him. Joanne had been taking meals over and doing her best to help; she wasn't saying anything about what was going on there but rumours from the school had started to run around town.

"How was work?" Leola asked wanting to take her mind off Bella, she was determined to focus on her own life and she wasn't sure what she could do to help a stranger. She hoped that Charlie wasn't going to be too distracted by what was going on with Bella when they went ahead with the drug's bust that was fast approaching. They needed everyone to be fully prepared for what was too come; they didn't need anyone to mess up or allow the drug dealer to escape before they could arrest them.

"Work was quiet," Sam replied with a shrug, he couldn't exactly tell Leola that he had spent the day running around the forest; he didn't have any council meeting today and it had been nice. Sam didn't really like dealing with the council, they weren't helpful when it came to running the pack and he hated that he had to answer to them. They didn't even help deal with the rumours that he and the pack were some sort of gang and that they were nothing but trouble.

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	12. Home Sweet Home

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: Home Sweet Home.**

Staring up at the arrivals board as she tried to spot her parents flight number, Leola was looking forward to having her parents stay with her for a couple of days; it would be nice to see them after spending months apart. They talked constantly on the phone and Leola was excited to show them around the place that she now called home; she was sure that they would love the city and would come to visit again.

Not spotting the number, Leola moved back to where she had originally been waiting for them; she didn't want to get in anyone's way and the airport was busy today. People were hurrying around trying to catch their own flights or pick up relatives, it was only a couple of days until Thanksgiving and everyone was rushing round.

Leola had been thrilled to have the morning off so that she could come and collect her parents from the airport; Joanne had been supportive of her wanting to come and get them from William R. Fairchild International Airport. There was no telling when she would see either of her parents again; there was a chance that they would all be working over the holidays, it wasn't ideal but there was nothing that could be done about that.

Spotting her parents, Leola grinned as she moved towards them; she couldn't believe that she hadn't seen them in five months. It only seemed like yesterday that she was moving to Forks and leaving them behind in Kansas; she was excited that they had decided to come to Forks to spend time with her.

"Leola," Leona cried hurrying forward and throwing her arms around her daughter, she had missed her, and no amount of phone calls could change that; she was just glad that they had been able to fly out to see her. Hugging her back, Leola smiled at her father over her mother's shoulder as he approached them with their suitcases; it didn't feel real that they were here.

"How are you? Have you lost weight? Are you not eating enough?" Leona said firing question after question at Leola, she had missed her daughter and she was thrilled that she had been able to come and visit. Leona hadn't been fond of the idea that her only child would be living all the way across the country by herself; she had worried that something might happen to her daughter and she would be too far away to help.

"I'm fine, never better," Leola insisted with a smile, her mother always worried and she didn't feel like she had lost weight; she had been going to the gym more and Antonio was perfect work out partner. It was a nice to be doing something active when she wasn't at work and not spending time with Sam; she liked keeping active and there wasn't much else to really do in the small town.

"She's looks fine to me Leona," Lionel added moving to hug Leola, he knew that his wife worried about their daughter, but it was clear that Leola's move had been good for her. He had been worried as well, when she had first announced the move to Forks, it was far from where she had grown up and they hadn't known much about the place that she now called home.

"Shall we get out of here?" Lionel suggested with a smile, he was excited to see where she lived in person and from what Leola mentioned there was someone that she wanted them to meet. Nodding her head, Leola started to lead her parents towards her car with a smile; she was excited to have them stay with her for a couple of days. They had so much to catch up on and Leola was sure that they would enjoy what she had planned; she would introduce Sam to her parents tomorrow and that made her a little nervous.

* * *

Staring up at the house that Leola now called home, Leona had to admit that it had a certain charm about it; it wasn't what she had been expecting but it was nice enough and it was somewhere that Leola could call her own. It was still strange for her to think that this was Leola's home now, there was a small part of her that did wish that her daughter would consider coming back to Kansas.

"What do you think?" Leola asked stopping next to her mother, she held one of the suitcases that they had brought with them leaving her father to grab the other. It was everything that she had ever wanted, and she was thrilled that things had worked out like they had; the house was the perfect size for just her and her occasional guest.

"It's quaint," Leona replied with a small smile, she headed up the steps to the front door and waited for Leola to open the front door; she was surprised with how homely the place felt. Once the front door opened, Leona and Lionel stepped inside pleased to be out of the cold November weather; it was rather chilly out and it had just started to rain. The pictures that Leola had brought with her lined the walls and Leona smiled pleased to see that her daughter had made the place her own in the short time that she had been here.

"It's not much but I plan to do decorate a little when I have some free time," Leola said setting down the suitcase, she was a little nervous about what her parents would think about the place that she called home. Things were a little plain for her taste, she wanted a little more colour instead of the white that currently filled her home; it was a little much and she was starting to decorate with a little help from Sam. The guest room had been done quickly so her parents had somewhere comfortable to stay when they came to visit her; she had worked hard to make sure that they were going to be comfortable.

"Guest room is upstairs on the right," Leola said to her father, she led the way knowing that her mother would probably want to check out the rest of the house; she was glad that she had cleaned before going to collect them from the airport. Leona watched them go before she stepped into the living room, her brown eyes swept across the room taking in the pictures that lined the room that she didn't recognise.

Moving to look at them closely, Leona tried to put faces to the names that she knew; she guessed most of the ones that she didn't recognise were Leola's new co-workers. A smile formed on her face as she looked at Leola in the pictures, she seemed so happy and that was all that Leona had ever really wanted for her daughter.

It was true that she had been worried for Leola, it was hard to think of her only child being so far away from her especially in the line of work that Leola now did. There wasn't a moment that she didn't worry for her, she feared that something would happen to Leola and she wouldn't be able to protect her or keep her safe.

Pausing as she looked at one of the pictures, Leona raised an eyebrow as she carefully picked up the frame; it was a picture of Leola and a young man on a beach, they were smiling at one another almost like they were unaware that the picture was being taken. It had been a while since Leola had mentioned a guy, Leona had tried not to worry that her daughter was too distracted by her job to think about dating; she set down the picture when she heard someone coming back downstairs.

"How about some lunch?" Leola suggested with a smile, completely unaware of the fact that her mother had been looking at the picture of her and Sam. She was going to have to mention their dinner guest at some point, but it could wait for a little while longer.

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	13. Meeting the Parents

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen: Meeting the Parents.**

Smoothing out his shirt, Sam climbed out of his truck and shut the door behind him trying to hide his nervousness about meeting Leola's parents for the first time; he was a little worried what they might think of him. He had spent most of the day worrying about meeting her parents for the first time; it certainly hadn't helped that Paul and Jared had been making fun of him.

The two found it amusing that he was so worried about meeting Leola's parents for the first time; he had thought of every possible reason that they might find not to like him. Moving up the steps, Sam couldn't shake how nervous he felt about meeting Leola's parents; he knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. The front door opened, and Sam was relieved to see that it was Leola that had answered, he didn't know what he would have done if one of her parents had answered the door instead.

"You made it," Leola said with a large smile on her face, she had been worried that he would change his mind about coming to meet her parents; it was a big deal especially when they had only been dating a couple of months. She stepped aside to allow him into her home and shut the door behind him to keep the heat inside the house; it was cold today and Leola wasn't going to be surprised if it snowed later.

"I said I was coming," Sam teased, he wasn't going to duck out and leave her to explain to her parents why he hadn't come; he was sure that wasn't the way to make a good first impression with her parents. He wanted to be on good terms with them especially since he was hopeful that things would go well with Leola; she was his imprint and he saw himself spending the rest of his life with her. Things had been good between him and Leah's parents when they had dated, and he hoped for the same with Leola's parents; he wanted them to like him.

"Leola. Your mother is looking for the plates," Lionel said stepping into the hallway, he didn't mean to interrupt but his wife was nearly done with dinner and she was determined to start plating up. It had come as a bit of a surprise when Leola had announced that her boyfriend would be joining them today; he and Leona hadn't thought she would meet someone so quickly here.

"Dad, this is Sam… my boyfriend," Leola said introducing the two men, she couldn't just leave Sam alone with her father without a proper introduction. She wanted her parents to like Sam, she had a good feeling about things with him and she couldn't imagine being in a relationship that her parents didn't approve of.

"It's nice to meet you Sam, glad you could join us," Lionel greeted shaking Sam's hand, he was a little surprised with how warm the other man was but dismissed it as him not being used to the cold. He was surprised how cold it was here and Lionel was glad that he was only visiting, he had never been fond of the cold and the fact that the weather predicted snow did not comfort him.

"I should go help mum, you two going to be okay?" Leola asked more for Sam's sake, she felt bad for leaving him with her father, but her mother would most likely dismantle her kitchen if she didn't go and help her. Sam nodded his head, he was sure that there was nothing that Lionel could say to him in a few minutes that could make him uncomfortable; he was sure that clinging to Leola in anyway wouldn't help him. Taking a deep breath, Sam focused on the matter at hand and the man that was stood just feet from him; he could do this, and he was certain that he would be able to manage.

"Come through, dinner should be ready soon," Lionel insisted waving for Sam to follow him into the living room, he could see how nervous Sam was and he had no intentions of making this awkward. It was hard to believe that Leola was dating again, and Lionel had no doubts that his daughter could handle herself; he had seen how she looked at Sam and he couldn't help but be happy for her.

"So, what is it you do Sam?" Lionel asked taking a seat in front of the tv, he peeked at the movie that was showing before turning his full attention to Leola's new boyfriend. Sam sat down in the arm chair and looked at him, he was a little relieved that things seemed so calm and he was sure that this wasn't going to be as bad as he had imagined.

"I run security down on the reservation," Sam replied simply, he couldn't say much more but he was sure that his cover was going to be good enough; he couldn't exactly tell him that he shifted into a giant wolf. He had no idea how he was going to ever explain that to Leola, he was a little nervous of telling her about his secret, but he hoped that things would go well when he did.

"I also do some work with the tribal council," Sam continued, he held that position because he had shifted first and he knew that things would change when Jacob Black did. He wanted nothing more than to step aside and let things take their true course but that couldn't happen until Jacob phased and was ready to do so. Lionel looked rather surprised at the idea, Sam looked rather young to take up such responsibility; however, he was sure that it was only a good thing.

"Dinner is ready, help yourselves," Leona called from the next room, she had worked hard all morning to make this perfect and she was excited that it had all come together so nicely. The two men headed into the kitchen and there was no denying that Leona and Leola had done a wonderful job at putting together the banquet that was spread across the kitchen.

"This looks amazing Mrs Hart," Sam complimented, he was surprised that they had managed to put together so much food; he doubted that three people would have been able to eat all of this. There was so much food and Sam was starving, he was hopeful that his incredible appetite wouldn't attract too much attention; he was certain that people would have questions if they saw how much he could eat.

"Please call me Leona," Leona insisted with a smile, she stared at Sam a little surprised and she had to admit that her daughter had a great taste in men. Everyone helped themselves to the food, there was so much food and Sam was sure that Leola would have leftovers for days; not that he minded since he would probably be helping her eat them.

"Tell me about yourself," Leona asked looking at Sam, she was curious about him and she didn't have much time to get to know him before they went back to Kansas. Leona didn't know when she would be back to visit, and she wanted to get to know Sam while she had the chance; it was strange to think that her daughter was dating again.

It was something that she wouldn't have expected when Leola had first announced that she was moving to Forks; it had been the furthest thing from her mind. Leola smiled while Sam started to talk with her parents, she was glad that things were going well, and she knew that her parents had been thrilled with the idea that she was dating again.

Things with Sam were going well, and Leola was surprised how easy thing seemed to be for them; they seemed to go from strength to strength. They were both busy with work and Leola knew that they were still getting to know one another but they clicked and that was all that mattered to Leola right now.

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	14. Desperate for Help

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen: Desperate for Help.**

"Could I have a word," Charlie asked popping his head around the door of his office to the Detective as she moved to pass his office by; he was exhausted and the mountain of paperwork on his desk wasn't helping. Things weren't getting better at home and Charlie wasn't sure what he could do anymore to help his daughter; he was worried sick about her and her reaction to her first break up.

Leola nodded her head, she had been going to get herself some coffee since she was working on some paperwork on her own since it was a quiet day for the station. Stepping into Charlie's office, Leola eyed the mountain of paperwork that sat on his desk as she took a seat wondering what he wanted to talk about. It was no secret that things with Bella weren't going well and everyone could see how little sleep Charlie was getting; it had been over two months since the Cullens had left town and nothing had changed.

"Is everything okay Chief?" Leola asked concerned, she had spoken to him just that morning on the bust that they were planning, and he had approved her plans for it to take place in a couple of weeks. It had been a long investigation and collecting evidence hadn't been easy, the last thing that they needed was too alert the people of Forks to what they were doing.

"You're twenty-one," Charlie noted making Leola furrow her brow as she nodded her head, a little confused about why her age was coming up. She had worked here for five months now and Leola liked to think that she was doing her job well; she liked the people that she worked with and coming to Forks had been the right move for her.

"And you've dated before, right?" Charlie questioned, he rested his arms on the desk in front of him; his eyes sweeping nervously around the room as he thought about why he had asked Leola into his office. An alarmed look appeared on Leola's face, she had no idea where Charlie was going with this, but she felt uncomfortable and she suddenly wished that the door to Charlie's office hadn't been closed when she had come inside.

"Sir… I don't think that's appropriate," Leola said, Charlie was a great guy, but he was a little too old for her and it would be completely unprofessional of her to date her boss. Charlie looked confused for a moment wondering what Leola was talking about before he turned a deep red colour; he shook his head and coughed awkwardly as he realised what she thought he meant. He spluttered for a couple of seconds trying to find the right words to express what he was trying to say; he hadn't meant it to come off like he was trying to ask her out.

"Bella isn't doing so well, and I figured since you're about her age that maybe you could talk to her… I don't know what to do and her mother is no help," Charlie said desperately, he had tried everything that he could to help his daughter. He called Renee weekly with updates, but she didn't seem to realise how bad things were; he had considered therapy, but he wasn't sure how helpful that would be.

Charlie had even gone as far as too look into therapists that could help but he wasn't sure if Bella would be willing to speak to a complete stranger about what was going on. Leola was speechless for a moment, she was a little relieved that her boss wasn't hitting on her, but she wasn't sure just what he expected her to do in regards to Bella. Joanne was the person that Charlie usually turned to in all of this, he had relied on her heavily since Bella had practically shut down, so it was a surprise that he was asking her now.

"Have you thought about taking her to therapy?" Leola asked curiously, wasn't sure how much help she would be talking to Bella since she didn't really know the girl, nor had she spoken to her before now. She was sure a professional would be much more prepared to talk to the distressed teenager than she was; she didn't want to say something that could make it worse.

"I've looked into it… but it didn't do me much good when I went, so I wasn't sure how Bella would take it," Charlie replied shaking his head, he had attended therapy a couple of times after Renee had left him taking Bella with her. He had found that it hadn't helped him at all and only served to make him question himself further on why his wife had decided to leave him when he had been completely open with her about wanting to remain in Forks.

"I know it's a lot to ask but I don't know what else to do that might help her… she sits all day up in her room and stares out of the window as if she's waiting for them to come back," Charlie pleaded, he knew he was asking a lot, but he was sure that it was worth a try. None of the Cullens had even bothered to call Bella since they had left Forks two months earlier; even her best friend, Alice, who had been good to Bella when her leg had been broken. Leola sighed, it wouldn't hurt to give it a go even if she wasn't sure how her talking to Bella would really help but she was willing to try for Charlie's sake.

"Okay," Leola agreed with a nod of her head, she would do this for Charlie since she didn't know how much she would be able to help but she was willing

* * *

Knocking on Bella's bedroom door, Leola felt awkward standing in the Chief Swan's home, but she had said she would talk to Bella and that was what she was here to do; even if she wasn't successful in getting through to the teenager. There was no answer to her knock and Leola lingered for a moment before she slowly pushed open the door to the bedroom where she found the teenager staring out of her window.

"Hi Bella… I'm Leola, your dad asked me to come and talk to you," Leola said introducing herself, she approached Bella only to stop when she saw how thin the girl had become; she clearly hadn't been eating enough recently. Bella didn't react at all, she continued to stare out of the window completely lost in her thoughts almost as if no one had spoken to her; her eyes seemed unseeing as she continued to stare out of the window. Hesitating for a moment, Leola wracked her brain for a moment trying to think of what she was going to say to the teenager.

"I know you're having a hard time right now and your first love is something that you can never forget, but my grandmother always told me that letting go has never been easy but holding on can be as difficult. No man, no matter how great is worth tearing out your heart for," Leola said standing awkwardly. She watched Bella for a moment already knowing that the teenager wasn't going to reply, and she expected nothing here; she just wanted Bella to know that it was okay to move on. Whatever had happened between her and Edward was between them and Leola wasn't here to pry; she just hoped that her words offered Bella come comfort.

"You are strong Bella and deserve better than to waste away. If you ever need someone to talk to… or even get away from here for a night, give me a call," Leola offered setting down a card with her number on the windowsill before she left the room. Closing the door behind her, Leola didn't see Bella slowly reaching for the card and holding it in her hand; her eyes filling with tears as she continued to stare out of the window.

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	15. Seeking Help

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen: Seeking Help.**

"Congratulations on the bust," Antonio congratulated, he had just heard that they had been successful and the dirtbag had been caught and his entire stash had been seized during the raid early that morning. He had been disappointed not to be a part of the arrest team, but he'd had his kids the night before and he'd had issues with his ex about when he was allowed to have the children.

"Thanks," Leola said smiling up at Antonio as she worked on her arrest report, she was pleased with how it had gone down and it was nice to be able to keep Forks and La Push safe from guys like that. It was a lot of relief that they had managed to arrest the dealer and get his stash in one go; there was hope that was the end of the problem here.

The last few weeks had all been building up to this moment and Leola was glad to that she had dealt with this before Christmas; she was surprised with how fast the holidays had come around. It reminded Leola of the fact that she'd yet to even buy any of her Christmas decorations; she was leaving it pretty late but the pickings in Forks for decorations were pretty slim.

"How are the kids?" Leola asked, she had meet Antonio's children a few times when they had come to the station to see their dad and she knew how much he adored them. Diego and Eva were everything to their father and Leola knew without a doubt that Antonio would do anything for his children.

"Let's just say my wallet is £50 lighter right now," Antonio replied dropping into his own desk chair, he turned on his computer before going on to explain to Leola how his darling children had managed to get more money out of him. A smile formed on Leola's face as she listened to what Antonio had to say, a little amused at what he had to say. Focusing on her report, Leola made sure that everything was in place before she sent it to Charlie so that he could check it over before she submitted it; she had worked hard on all of this and she wanted it to be perfect.

"Excuse me," whispered a voice that Leola almost missed, she looked up at the person who had spoken and was almost surprised to see Bella standing before her. The teenager looked even thinner now that she was stood before her and Leola was surprised that Bella had even come to see her; it had been weeks since she had gone to see her, and she doubted that she would hear from her. It didn't escape her notice that the teenager seemed nervous about being here and Leola was entirely sure that she was meant to be in school right now.

"You came to speak with me a few weeks ago and gave me your card," Bella mumbled doubting that Leola would recall, she was bound to have more important things to think about than some teenager's problems that she had heard about. Looking down at her trainers, Bella was surprised that someone that she didn't know had reached out to her; her father hadn't been able to snap her out of this.

"You said that I could talk to you if I needed to," Bella continued quietly, she wasn't sure what had made her listen to Leola and made her even consider coming to speak with her. She had found it hard to continue just sitting around surrounded by her memories of Edward and his family after Leola had visited; she honestly hadn't realised how much time had past since they had left her. To find that months had past since they had left had past when it had only felt like a matter of days had surprised Bella and she could see how much her actions were hurting Charlie and she didn't want that.

"Of course," Leola said offering Bella a kind smile, she was surprised that the teenager had come to her and she was happy to help her in anyway possible; she signalled for Bella to take a seat so that they could talk. She was sure that she could spare a little time to talk with Bella and she very much doubted that Charlie would complain about this if it meant that Bella might recover. The two were silent for a moment and Leola wasn't sure what to say for a moment; she hadn't been prepared for Bella to come back to her at all.

"Your father mentioned that you've been having nightmares," Leola said not wanting to upset Bella nor bring up the rumours that she had heard about what had been going on between her and Edward. Leola wanted to keep things as simple as possible especially since this was the first time she was really meeting with Bella; she didn't want to drive the poor girl away. A nod of the head was all that Leola received and she could see just how exhausted Bella was and she had seen how tired Charlie had been in the past few weeks.

"I remember my first love… his name was Logan," Leola said trying a different tactic since Bella wasn't talking, she smiled thinking about her first boyfriend and how things had worked out for them. It was a surprise that it had only been a couple of years ago that they had dated but Leola couldn't help but be glad that she had moved on from what they'd had.

"Logan was wonderful, he was so carefree, and he could always make me smile," Leola continued leaning back in her chair, she looked at Bella who seemed to be listening to what she had to say. It was strange to think that she didn't even know what he was doing now, he had been her best friend before they had dated and now they didn't speak anymore.

"We were together for two years… he went off to some fancy college and I joined the academy, long distance just wasn't for us," Leola explained with a sad smile, it had broken her heart and she had been glad for the distraction of the academy at the time. She looked at Bella, she wanted her to understand that just because Edward was gone didn't mean that her life was over; she was sure that given the right person then perhaps Bella just might move forward with her life.

"Your first love will always be that, but that doesn't mean you won't love again… I loved Logan with all my heart but even I know that some things aren't meant to last," Leola continued with a shake of her head, she was sure that her words would get through to Bella. She didn't want to lecture, nor did she want to do anything that might further upset Bella; she just wanted her to see that it was okay to let Edward go.

"I understand that you love Edward but sometimes things work out just the way that they are meant to even if you don't realise it, it's okay to let him go," Leola finished offering her a small smile. She had no idea what Bella might take away from any of this and she wasn't going to push her to open up, but she wanted Bella to know that she could talk to her about anything.

There was silence for a moment and Bella seemed to consider the words that Leola had offered her; there had been no pushing to move on or to forget about Edward. Just a reassurance that it was okay to let him go, Bella had clung to the very idea of Edward fearing that she would forget him just like he had said that she would. Tears escaped her eyes and Bella stared down at her hands, she didn't want to forget about him; she liked the way that Leola talked about her first love and wondered if one day she would talk about Edward like that.

"What do you need Bella?" Leola asked wanting to help the teenager, she was worried about her especially considering how thin Bella was and she knew that something had to be done to help her.

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	16. Hearing the Legends

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen: Hearing the Legends.**

Climbing out of her car, Leola couldn't help but feel nervous that she was here and she hoped that Sam was right about her being welcome; the last thing that she wanted to do was step on anyone's toes. It had come as a surprise to her when her boyfriend had invited her to come to a tribal bonfire and hear the legends; he had all but insisted that he wanted her there and no one would mind if she attended.

Looking at herself in the wing mirror, Leola felt even more nervous about the fact that she was doing this; she hadn't been expecting this especially so close to Christmas. Pleased as she could be with how she looked, Leola reached into her car and pulled out her bag making sure she had everything before she closed the car and locked it.

Shouldering her bag, Leola slowly started to make her way down the beach towards where Sam had told her the bonfire was; the cold winter air nipping at her as she went. Hugging her coat closer to her, Leola was almost relieved when she spotted the bonfire which looked rather warm and inviting; she was however a little surprise at how few people seemed to be in attendance. Sam grinned spotting her and bounded up the beach towards her, he had been a little worried that she would change her mind about coming and he was relieved that she had; it would make telling her the truth so much easier.

"Hey," Sam greeted kissing Leola, he was glad that she had come and he was looking forward to spending the evening with her and having her hear the legends. Paul and Jared lingered by the bonfire with the elders, each watching the two ahead of them; they were curious about how this night would go and what they would learn from it. While imprinting was meant to be rare, there was still a chance that it might happen to them and the two of them had found themselves taking notes on how Sam handled it.

"You're just in time for the meeting," Sam said taking her hand and starting to lead her towards the bonfire; it was freezing and he was sure she would be happier closer to the bonfire. Coming to a complete stop, Leola stared up at her boyfriend not entirely sure if she had heard him right; her eyes sweeping the gathering as she realised that she had and she cursed herself for not realising what this was.

"This is a council meeting?" Leola whispered horrified, she wouldn't have come if she had known that she was essentially crashing a council meeting. She was sure that they had important business and such to discuss, they wouldn't want some random person attending their meeting; she couldn't believe that she hadn't realised.

Sam chuckled at the look on her face, it was sweet that she was worried about interrupting but he had already cleared it with everyone and the main reason that they were having the bonfire was so that she could hear the legends. It had been five months since he had imprinted on her and Sam was impressed with how well things had gone between them. It might have taken him another two months to ask her out but things had gone well in his opinion especially since he didn't have anyone that he could turn to for advice on imprinting.

"Don't worry… it's more than okay for you to be here," Sam encouraged leading her towards the bonfire, they would be starting soon and he wanted her to officially meet Paul and Jared before they started. If things went well tonight then she would be seeing more of them and then he would break the news to her when he was certain she wouldn't run screaming from him.

* * *

Listening as Billy Black told the legends of the tribe, Leola couldn't help but feel blessed that she had been allowed to hear the legends like this; she had goosebumps as she heard the tales of Taha Aki. The gathering was silent as Billy talked each talking in the stories that he told and Leola couldn't help but want to learn more about them; she wondered if there was a book that she could find to read in her downtime.

Sam sat next to her, he watched her from the corner of his eye and a smile on his face; she seemed to be enjoying herself and interested in what she was hearing. Things had been going well and Sam was grateful for the fact that everyone had welcomed Leola with open arms; he wanted her to feel accepted so that she would come again. Once Leola was aware of the fact that he was a wolf, Sam was certain that she would become a regular to these events; he wanted her to feel comfortable about being here.

Billy continued to speak, his eyes sweeping the small gathering thinking of the day that he might maybe share this moment with his own son. He was sure that Jacob would phase soon, he had noticed the signs and he was certain that it would happen soon; he hoped that his son wouldn't be angry with him for not sharing this with him sooner. Sam would eventually step down as alpha when Jacob did phase and Billy knew that he couldn't wait to have more time to spare on Leola.

The girl seemed like a good match for Sam and would probably be a much better match for him than what he'd had with Leah; it made Billy wonder if she was truly prepared to know that everything that he spoke tonight was real. The legends slowly came to an end and Billy looked across the bonfire at Sam wondering when the younger man would gather the nerve to tell her the truth.

"What did you think?" Sam asked cautiously, he wasn't sure what she would say and he hoped that she had enjoyed herself; he glanced at Paul and Jared knowing that they would help Billy back to his home. It was getting late and the last thing that anyone wanted was to stay out in the cold weather especially with the bonfire now being put out; he wanted to make sure that Leola got back to her car okay.

"I really enjoyed them," Leola said getting to her feet and stretching, she was thankful that she'd put gloves on before leaving and the cold night air was starting to nip at her nose. Slowly starting to make their way back towards her car, Leola was surprised how quickly everyone seemed to disburse to escape the cold; not that she blamed them since it was super cold. Sam wrapped an arm around Leola and drew her close, his body heat offering her warmth as they made their way up to her car; he smiled feeling her cuddle into his side.

"You wouldn't happen to know of a book that I could read… I would love to learn more," Leola questioned wanting to learn more, she had found herself intrigued with what she had heard and she wished to read about other legends from his tribe. Sam couldn't help but smile at that, he liked the idea of her learning more and he knew of a few books that might help her especially when it came to revealing the truth about himself. The more information that he could give her before he told her the better in his opinion and it meant that she was more likely to believe him when she learned the truth.

"I'll pick some up for you," Sam told her, he gave her shoulder a squeeze as they walked; this had worked out better than he had hoped and it did ease his mind about telling her. Perhaps if things went well then, he would be able to tell her much sooner than he had planned.

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	17. Winter Surprises

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen: Winter Surprises.**

Trudging through the snow, Leola mumbled to herself as she stepped into the station and banged her feet on the welcome mat to remove the excess snow that had stuck to her shoes. It had been nice having a white Christmas and she had called her parents to speak with them; it was strange having the day to herself and she almost wished that she'd worked instead.

"Morning," Diana greeted looking up from her desk and offering Leola a smile, the heating was on full blast and the place was nice and toasty; especially compared to the weather outside. It was freezing and no one wanted to be stuck in a building where it was as cold as it was outside; they all had work to be done and with the holidays over there was a bit of paperwork to be caught up on.

"Morning… I didn't think it would snow anymore," Leola said shaking her head, she had never seen so much snow in her life and while at first she'd adored the white stuff; now it was nothing more than a nuisance that she had to deal with each morning. She'd spent half an hour that morning scrapping the ice from her car and un-burying it from all the snow that had fallen overnight while she had been asleep.

Diana laughed and nodded her head, she could only imagine how strange this was for Leola; she very much doubted that they had this much snow down south in Kansas. Heading towards the locker room, Leola could only imagine what the New Year would hold for them; she wasn't sure what to expect since it would be hard to top the year she'd had.

Sam had invited her down to his for a New Year party that he was throwing and she'd agreed to go; she was surprised how well things were going for them in the time that they had dated. There was no rush between them and Leola enjoyed the fact that they were taking their time, they had date nights and spent time together; she liked spending time with him and she wouldn't deny that she had thought about what would come next.

Stepping into the locker room, Leola headed to her locker and quickly readied herself for her shift; she had a bit of paperwork to do before she went out on patrol, she wasn't looking forward to driving through this snow. The roads were slippy and the slush made her a little nervous about driving around; she guessed it was something that she was going to have to get used to. Of course, there had been light snow since she had arrived but nothing like this and she couldn't believe how much had fallen; she could only imagine what it would be like if it got really bad.

"I officially hate the snow," Antonio grumbled shaking his head as he entered the locker room, he pulled off his woolly hat and nodded to Leola as he passed her. Leola laughed and headed out of the locker room, she guessed that he hadn't had the easiest time getting into work; she knew that he'd had the kids over the holidays since his ex-wife had gone away.

"Morning Bella… let me guess, your dad dragged you in to help with the filing," Leola said spotting her, it was nice to see the teenager around the office and from what she heard from Charlie; her talking with Bella had helped. She looked a lot healthier than the last time that Leola had seen her, she had put a bit of the weight back on and the jump that she was wearing didn't seem a size to big for her.

"He mentioned that Diana needed some help and I had nothing better to do," Bella replied shrugging her shoulders, she offered Leola a smile pleased to see that she was here. It was nice talking to someone even if she couldn't tell her completely what had happened between her and Edward.

Since talking to Leola, Bella had done her best to slowly move forward in her life even if a part of her was still hoping that Edward would come back for her; she had stopped the automated living that she had been doing since he had left. It had been a slow start and she was grateful that she had a friend like Angela that was patient with her while she dealt with all of this.

"Leola… there's someone here to see you," Diana called from the front desk making Leola furrow her brow, she wasn't expecting anyone and she didn't have any on-going cases that might require people coming to see her. Heading for the front desk, Leola paused at the sight of the woman at the desk; she didn't recognise her and she didn't know what she could want.

"Can I help you?" Leola asked politely, she wracked her mind wondering why someone would come to here and ask for her; she couldn't think of anything. The woman was from the reservation and seemed to stare at her for a moment almost as if she wasn't sure what to make of her; she was sure that they could sort whatever it was out.

"You're Leola? Leola Hart? Detective Leola Hart," the woman asked to be sure that she was talking with the right person, she frowned a little as she took in Leola and it made her uncomfortable. Nodding her head, Leola peeked at Diana who almost looked as confused as Leola felt; neither of them sure what was going on here. The woman was silent for a moment as she stared at Leola, she had to admit that Leola wasn't at all like she had been expecting; she pursed her lips knowing that her plan would work out just fine.

"Allison Uley, I'm Sam's mother," the woman said holding out her hand for Leola to shake, she had heard so much about her son's new girlfriend and had wanted to meet her. Sam hadn't said much about his new girlfriend, but Allison guessed that things must be serious if he was taking her to council meetings to hear the legends. Things had been odd with her son as of late and she had no idea why, she had always done her best especially after his father had walked out on them when he was a child; it struck her as odd that he hadn't told her much about Leola.

Leola was a little speechless staring at Allison, she had not been expecting to meet her like this and she was sure that Sam would have mentioned something to her if he knew she was coming here. The fact that he had meet her parents hadn't escaped her mind and she had been patient with him since he hadn't mentioned anything about her meeting his family.

"I'm having a dinner tonight and I would like you to come," Allison insisted, she wanted to get to know the woman that seemed to have her son so distracted as of late. The break-up with Leah had been months ago and Allison knew that it hadn't been easy even if it was a mutual decision between the couple.

Leola nodded her head slowly, she wasn't working this evening and had no reason why she shouldn't be able to attend; she'd have to call Sam and let him know about this. The last thing that Leola wanted was to walk in and surprise him if that was what his mother intended; she felt so awkward and unprepared for this surprise meeting.

"Wonderful… six o'clock don't be late," Allison said before turning on her heel and walking out of the police station; she had much to do and she was sure that her son would try and talk her out of this. They'd been dating for awhile now and Sam seemed pretty serious about her, it seemed only right that Allison got to meet her and have her round for dinner.

Especially since he'd already met Leola's parents and had dinner with them, Allison couldn't shake the feeling that her only child was hiding from her and she wanted to know what was going on.

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 **Some of you will notice that I've changed Leola's position... I did some research and thought Detective was a better rank for someone her age and much more plausible.**

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	18. Dinner at the Uley House

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

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 **Chapter Eighteen: Dinner at the Uley House.**

"So, you're having dinner with Sam's mother I hear," Joanna mused sipping on her coffee with a smile, she had been surprised when she had heard from Diana that Allison had come to the station to invite Leola to dinner. It surprised Joanna little that Sam hadn't introduced Leola to his mother yet, she had heard a few stories about his mother and she knew that she was quite the businesswoman.

"That's right," Leola replied not sure what to expect, she made herself a drink and sat down at the table across from Joanna. Sam had never really said much about his parents other than his father had walked out when he was little and he had been raised by his mother; she guessed that she didn't really know much about his family.

"Good luck with that from what I hear she gave Leah Clearwater a hell of a time when she was dating Sam," Antonio said having heard what Joanna had said, he set down the newspaper that he had been reading and couldn't help but feel rather amused at the situation. Joanna nodded at his statement, she had heard that too and she knew that Allison Uley was a hard woman to impress; she was very protective of her only child and everyone knew she had drilled it into him that he must not turn out like his father.

"She didn't like Sam's Ex?" Leola asked not sure what to make of that, on the one had she liked the idea that she didn't have to compete with how much Allison had liked Leah. But on the other it meant that Allison might be hard to impress, she had met Leah briefly and she was seemed like a perfect girlfriend for Sam.

"Nope…" Antonio said shaking his head, he didn't know much about it but everyone had known that Allison had rather disapproved of her son's relationship with Leah. He could only imagine what Allison would think about Leola, he very much doubted that the dinner would end well and he could only hope that he was wrong; he had dealt with a mother's dislike before. Leola was silent as she took in that, she couldn't help but be worried now and she had been a little hopeful that the dinner wasn't going to be as bad as she thought.

"Don't look so worried, I am sure that it won't be that bad," Joanna said trying to reassure Leola, she had heard that Allison was tough but if she had come all this way to invite Leola to dinner then she was sure it wouldn't be too bad. It wasn't like she had jumped down Leola's throat or launched questions at her when she had come to the station; it had been an invite to dinner, one that was overdue.

Sam and Leola had been dating for a few months now and Joanna had to admit that it was nice to see how fast Leola had settled down in Forks. She had been a little worried when Charlie had informed her that he'd hired a non-local for the position and that they were coming all the way from Kansas to join their department.

"She'll learn to like you. You've adapted really well to being here in Forks and you've taken an interest in his heritage," Joanna continued recalling that Leola had been invited to hear the legends. It wasn't something that happened for everyone and she was sure that Leola had been invited because she meant something to Sam.

Offering a grateful smile to Joanna, Leola got to her feet knowing that she needed to finish off her paperwork before the shift was over; she didn't want anything to distract her from the dinner tonight. She would just have to wait and see who was right, she had a feeling that Allison Uley was not going to make this easy of her and she would make Leola work for her approval.

* * *

"Leola. I am so happy you made it," Allison said smiling as she stepped aside to allow Leola to step into her home, she was glad to see that the younger woman had put some effort in deciding what she was wearing to meet her. Allison knew that her decision to invite Leola around for dinner had upset Sam, he had tried to talk her out of it but she was having none of it. Sam had been dating Leola long enough now to warrant meeting his mother and if she had heard right the Sam had already meet Leola's parents when they came to town for a visit.

"Thank you for having me, I brought you these," Leola said handing over the flowers that she had gotten for Allison, she had thought it would be rude if she didn't show up with a gift for her. Allison had been nice enough to invite her for dinner and she had chosen a nice simple pencil dress to wear for the occasion; she wanted to impress Sam's mother.

"They're beautiful. Thank you," Allison said taking the flowers, she had to admit that she hadn't thought that Leola would being her anything; she couldn't remember the last time that she had received flowers. Sam appeared behind his mother, he offered Leola a small smile; he wasn't looking forward to this especially after what had happened when he had brought his last girlfriend home to meet his mother.

"I'm making my famous Pot Roast for dinner. I hope that's okay?" Allison checked, she smiled politely as she headed back towards the kitchen to put the flowers in some water. Sam watched his mother leave before approaching Leola, he was glad that she had come even if he knew what sort of disaster this dinner was going to be; his mother might be playing nice now but it wouldn't last.

"I'm sorry about this… I tried to convince her not to," Sam apologised, he had begged for his mother to reconsider especially when Leola still wasn't completely in the know about him. He wasn't sure how to break the news to her even after the bonfire that they had attended, she seemed to have enjoyed the legends but it would be another thing entirely to make her see that they were really.

"It's fine. It's about time I meet your mother anyway… we have been dating for four months," Leola replied smiling, the stories that she had heard were still playing in her mind and she was a little nervous. The last thing she wanted was for Sam's mother to not like her, she didn't want any trouble especially with Sam's ex-girlfriend still around.

"Dinner's nearly ready. Sam could you set the table please," Allison called from the kitchen making Sam sigh, he headed to the kitchen to do as he was told; he doubted that she would take no as an answer. Leola lingered in the hallway, not sure what to do; she slowly wandered over to some pictures on the ways and smiled when she spotted the pictures of young Sam on the wall. It was strange to see him looking so young and carefree, he always seemed like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and she wished that she could change that.

"Dinner is served," Allison called snapping Leola from her thoughts, she took a deep breath before heading towards the kitchen where dinner had been set up. It smelled amazing and her stomach grumbled, she was starving and she was glad that she hadn't had anything to eat before coming judging by the spread that Allison had put on for her.

"This looks amazing," Leola said taking a seat, she glanced at Sam who seemed to be staring down at his plate; she had a feeling that something had been said. Allison smiled at her compliment before they started to eat, a silence settling over the three of them; Sam almost sulking and Leola wasn't sure what to say.

"Sam tells me that you're a Detective," Allison began breaking the silence, she ignored the looks that filled her Sam offered her; she didn't see why he was being so stubborn, it was her right as his mother to meet Leola. It wasn't like she was doing anything out of the ordinary, she was meeting her son's new girlfriend and she was sure that wasn't something that he couldn't deal with.

"What made you want to enter such a career?" Allison asked wanting to understand Leola, she had to admit that she was a little surprised when she had found out that her son was dating a police officer. It seemed like such an odd thing and she was certain that Sam had tried to hide Leola from her; she just wanted to make sure that her son got what he deserved.

"I always wanted to help people. My father is a firefighter and my mother is a nurse, I wanted to make them proud and follow in their footsteps," Leola revealed with a smile. It had always been her dream to help people and she was certain that her parents had been so proud of her when she had graduated from the academy. Allison nodded at her reply, a thoughtful look filled her face as she took in what Leola had said; she didn't say anything for a moment as she ate her dinner.

"I hear you run your own company," Leola said trying to recall what she had heard about Sam's mother not including the fact that she didn't like Leah; she doubted that would help her in anyway right now. Sam didn't say anything his eyes focused on his meal, he was listening to the conversation closely; he just wanted the dinner to end without any problems.

"That's right. I'm away a lot for business but I always make sure to come home to see my Sam," Allison beamed before launching into what she did, she ran her own cosmetic company that focused on providing make-up and other things suitable for those with dark skin. It often kept her away from La Push but she tried to come home as often as she could; she was thankful that she had always been able to count on her son.

"Where do you see yourself in five years' time?" Allison asked returning to her questions, her question making Sam look up sharply and glare at her; he didn't know what she was getting at and she wished that she would stop this. Leola hesitated for a moment, she wasn't quite sure how to respond to that and she felt even more conscience of the fact that she had only been dating Sam for four months; she didn't want to say something that might overstep.

"Come now that's not hard to answer. Do you see yourself leaving Forks? Changing careers?" Allison pushed, she waved off Sam's attempts to stop her; it was a simple question that she was sure that Leola should be able to answer. She was just trying to see just what Leola had planned and if it would affect Sam in some way; she knew that her son couldn't leave La Push and so she wanted to see if Leola realised yet that she would be tied to La Push for the rest of her life.

"I have no plans to leave Forks or to change careers," Leola stated, she glanced at Sam knowing it was a little too soon to be discussing the future for them and she didn't see the rush. Allison seemed satisfied with her answer as they all returned to eating, the silence awkward as Leola wondered just what Allison would ask next.

"I suppose working in Forks means that your work isn't as dangerous as it was in Kansas," Allison mused doubting that Leola would do anything more than write tickets now compared to the action that she might have seen if she had remained in Kansas. Leola nodded at that, she stared down at her plate almost wondering what Allison expected of her; she had a feeling that the other woman didn't like her. Sam remained quite through out and Leola could only imagine what was going on in his mind right now. 

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	19. New Year's Eve Party

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen: New Year's Eve Party.**

"I'm glad you made it," Sam greeted approaching Leola, he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss pleased that she had made it; he had been worried that she might cancel after dinner with his mother. Allison had never been kind when meeting anyone who was dating her son and Sam had really hoped that she would like Leola because she was his imprint.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Leola replied with a smile, she had considered not coming after the awful dinner with his mother but had decided against letting Sam down. It wasn't going to take one bad meeting with his mother to scare her off, Leola knew that if Allison was ever going to like her then she had to prove that what she was doing didn't bother her.

Looking around the party, Leola noted that there were quite a few people in attendance; it was just Sam's friends and it seemed like most of La Push had turned up for the New Year Party. Leola paused at the sight of Leah at the party, she hadn't been expecting to see Sam's ex and she was almost surprised to see that she wasn't alone.

"Whose that with Leah?" Leola asked turning to look at Sam, she watched his face as a frown formed and he focused on the person in question. A pit formed in her stomach at the look on his face, she knew that the breakup had been a mutual decision between the pair but she couldn't think of a reason why Sam might have a dislike for who Leah was with.

"Her date," Sam muttered with a shake of his head, he had been surprised himself when Leah had shown up with her brother and Darius. It had come as a surprise to him and he had thought that Leah might have given him the heads up just as he had done when he had started seeing Leola; he wasn't sure how he felt about her dating Darius, who he'd known since elementary.

Sam turned his attention back to Leola, he could see the look on her face and he didn't want her thinking that he was jealous of the fact that Leah was dating again; in fact, it relieved him since he wouldn't have to put up with the looks that he got. Emily was the worst and seemed to really have it out for him now that he was dating Leola; it was like being back in High School even though he had graduated over a year earlier.

"Do you know him?" Leola asked glancing back over at Leah and her date, they were by the snack table and seemed to be having fun. She'd only seen Leah once and Leola was sure it hadn't been easy for her to see Sam moving on; she had to witness their first date and that was bound to be awkward.

"Darius. We used to be close friends," Sam muttered with a frown, he'd had to cut ties with him after he'd phased and his former best friend had been rather annoyed when he had done so. Sam had become some what respected by the Elders of the tribe and had dropped his plans to go to college to remain here and lead the pack which had been pleased the Elders.

Darius hadn't understood that, he'd never had good grades and wanted nothing more than to get away from the tribe; he saw Sam's decision to stay as the ultimate betrayal. The two of them had clashed quite a bit in the past and Sam hated how things had worked out for the two of them; he knew that Darius would never know why he had done what he had.

"How was work?" Sam asked changing the subject, he didn't want to focus on Leah and Darius right now; he had Leola right here and he wanted to enjoy the moment that they had together. He had been doing a lot of thinking and he had decided that tonight was the night that he was going to tell Leola truth.

* * *

"Are you having a good time?" Sam asked approaching Leola, she had been talking with Kim; something that made Sam happy especially since he hoped they'd be close friends once Leola knew the truth. Kim was Jared's imprint and they would be probably spending a lot of time together once Leola knew about his secret; Kim could be someone that she was able to speak to about all of this.

"I am," Leola said turning to face him, it was growing close to midnight and she didn't feel like a complete outsider when talking to people here despite the fact that she was one of the very few people that wasn't Quileute in attendance. Paul and Jared had been nothing short of nice to her and she had enjoyed meeting Jared's new girlfriend Kim; the younger girl was a little shy but Leola had quickly found herself talking about their love of books together.

"I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk in the beach before the countdown?" Sam asked taking her hand, he gave it a squeeze making her smile and nod her head before they slowly left his backyard and the party that was happening around them. He trusted his friends to make sure that his place wasn't trashed while he was gone; they'd be the ones cleaning up if it was.

Slowly they made their way from his house towards the beach, it grew quieter, the further they got away from the house; a calm settling over them as they made their way onto the beach. The two of them were quiet as they made their way down the beach, just enjoying being in each other's company; the beach was peaceful and the sounds of the waves were the only thing that they could hear.

"There's something that I want to tell you," Sam said pulling Leola to a stop, he felt nervous and he knew that if he didn't do this now, they he was going to chicken out. He took both of her hands hoping that this was going to work; he wasn't sure how she would take the news about the fact that he turned into a wolf.

"Is everything okay?" Leola asked seeing the look on Sam's face, he looked worried and she couldn't imagine what he was going to say that could make him look so anxious; she squeezed his hands in reassurance. Closing his eyes, Sam prayed that she wouldn't think that he was lying to her; he wasn't sure what an outsider would make of all of this but she had liked learning about his tribe and its legends.

"Do you remember the legends?" Sam asked quietly, looking down at his feet for a moment not wanting to meet her eyes; he held on tightly to her hands fearing that she might disappear. Leola looked at him confused, his eyes unable to meet her own and she nodded her head; she watched his face as he hesitated for a moment.

"What if I told you that they were true?" Sam mumbled not raising his voice, his heart pounded in his chest and he held his breath once he had spoken those words almost wishing he could take them back. His words were greeted by silence and Sam slowly looked up to see Leola staring at him; she looked at him as if he was crazy.

"I know this sounds crazy Leo. But I'm being serious, the legends of my tribe are true," Sam said more certain of what he was saying, he searched her face hoping that she would see that he was being honest. Jared had it easy when it came to Kim, she had grown up with these stories like they all had but Leola wasn't from around here and had not long heard the legends. Slowly pulling her hands away from Sam, Leola looked up at her boyfriend; her face showing little emotion but her eyes stayed on his face.

"You're not joking right now, are you?" Leola whispered, worry filling her that her boyfriend actually believed he turned into a wolf.

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	20. You Need Help

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty: You Need Help.**

"Sam? Do you really believe you can turn into a wolf?" Leola asked staring him right in the eyes, her stomach twisted at what was happening and she almost wished that they weren't alone on this beach. The sound of the waves were all that she could hear and there wasn't likely to be anyone passing by if things went wrong; she watched as his face fell slightly at her words.

"We can get you help," Leola encouraged taking his hands, she searched his face and offered him a small smile trying to convey that it was all going to be okay. Sam sighed reaching up to brush some hair from her face, he understood that she wouldn't believe him right away; he wouldn't have believed him either if the shoe had been on the other foot then he would have probably thought the same thing.

"Do you trust me?" Sam asked quietly, there was only one thing to do and he hoped that he was about to do the right thing; he could see the doubt in her eyes even now. Leola didn't reply, she nodded her head slightly watching him confused as he kissed her forehead for a moment before he took a step back away from her. Neither of them spoke as Sam moved away from Leola until he stood a few feet away from her; he pulled his shirt over his head before kicking off his shoes.

"Sam. What are you doing? It's freezing out here," Leola said moving to take a step forward, she didn't know what he was trying to prove but catching pneumonia wasn't the answer. Sam held up his hand to stop her coming, the last thing that he wanted was for her to get hurt; he would never forgive himself if she got hurt because of him.

"I need you to trust me Leola," Sam said looking into her eyes, he offered her a little smile before taking a deep breath; he felt the change coming and he prayed she wouldn't run screaming. Leola stared at him first in confusion, then in horror as she watched her boyfriend of four months turn into a large black wolf; she stumbled backwards and fell to the sand below as she stared at the creature.

She'd never seen anything like it before and it was a lot larger than any wolf that she had ever seen; her stomach rolled and she opened and closed her mouth as her mind raced. Slowly the wolf made his way over to Leola, he lowered his head and wagged his tail when he reached her; he tilted his head unsure how she was going to react.

"This is real? Oh my God, this is real," Leola whispered to herself, her eyes wide as she continued to stare at Sam in wolf form; she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she had just watch him turn into a wolf. The dark eyes of the wolf stared right at her for a moment, he searched her face for something before slowly backing away from her to collect his clothes.

Sam was pretty sure that she wouldn't take off running while he put his clothes back on; he did so as quickly as he could not wanting to leave her alone for long. Once he was redressed, Sam made his way back to Leola who was still sitting on the sand looking stunned by what she had just witnessed and he didn't blame her.

"Leola?" Sam murmured approaching her, his eyes searching her face as he reached her unsure what she might say to him about what she had just witnessed. This wasn't something that he had been sure about and she was bound to ask questions about what had just happened but he felt like a weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

Looking up at her boyfriend, Leola swallowed as she tried to wrap her head around all of this; she had no idea what to say to him or how to feel about this.

* * *

"You turn into a wolf?" Leola repeated once they had found somewhere to sit and talk properly, she still couldn't wrap her head around what she had seen and a part of her worried that she had gone crazy. Things like this weren't meant to be real and the fact that it was made her question everything that she knew; she looked at Sam who had been quiet while she took in what he was telling her.

"I do," Sam replied glad that she hadn't run away when she had realised that he wasn't crazy or making this up; he was still worried about how quiet she was being. It had been a shock for her and he accepted that but he wished he could know what was going on in her head right now; it would make this a lot easier. Leola closed her eyes, she had no idea what to say and she had never felt so lost; she doubted that this was something that he shared with just anyone and she wished she had more to say right now.

"Who else?" Leola asked sure that he couldn't be the only one, she peeked at him and hated the look on his face knowing that she was the reason that it was there. It was strange, she had never thought that this was possible and she understood that he had taken a big risk in telling her; she was still processing from what she had witnessed.

"Jared and Paul," Sam replied knowing that answer would likely change soon, it was hard to believe that soon more boys would join them and the pack would get bigger. Leola nodded her head, she had thought it would be them since they all seemed to be close friends; she sat quietly taking it all in as the sounds of fireworks reached them.

This was not how she had thought they would be spending welcoming in the New Year, however she doubted that they could do anything else after the reveal. Sam watched her silently, he knew that this was a lot to take in especially for someone who had only recently learned about the legends; he understood that she might need to take time to digest all of this.

"I should get you home," Sam mumbled getting to his feet, he turned and offered her his hand offering her a reassuring smile; it was a lot to take him and he was certain that this wasn't what she had been expecting. A part of him wished that there had been an easy way to do this and he understood why she had thought that he was crazy at first.

It had touched his heart that her first response when confronted with all of this and thinking he was crazy wasn't to just turn away from him; she had wanted to help him get the help she thought he needed. Leola opened her mouth to reply but no words came, she was at a loss here and she had no experience with dealing with a reveal like this. She'd seen a bit during her time as an officer and there were things that would haunt Leola for the rest of her life that she had seen; the sight of her boyfriend turning into a wolf might be one of them.

"It's okay. You need time to process and I respect that. I'm only a phone call away if you have any questions," Sam encouraged with a smile, he took her hand and helped her to her feet knowing that this was for the best. The last thing that he wanted was to push her too far when she'd just learned about this, he wasn't sure adding more to this was going to help; let alone telling her straight away about imprinting. That was a can of worms that Sam wasn't sure would go down well and he worried that it might actually make her run away; he wouldn't blame her especially after seeing him turn into a wolf.

"Thank you," Leola whispered starting to walk back to where she had left her car, her head spinning at the fact that her boyfriend was actually a werewolf.

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